A Story Of A Girl
by Lyn Lloyd
Summary: Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friends she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can she find happiness...or maybe...even love?PostHogwarts
1. Chapter I: Sexy and Rich

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: **_**( Post-Hogwarts) **_

_**Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even **_love?

**P.S. **

**Great thanks to my best friend Kate for editing this story for me.**

* * *

**A Story Of A Girl**

_Chapter I_

_Sexy_ and **Rich**

* * *

"Hello Ms. Granger," A friend and colleague, Allie, waved as the successful and may I say, _beautiful_,brunette came strolling into the office with her hair in a tight bun and her suit freshly pressed.

"Hello Allie, have you finished your report on the Quidditch boys? I just can't wait to see that," she teased. Hermione Granger was now assistant editor of the Daily Prophet.

"No, not yet, but I'll let you be the first to look at the new pictures!" She giggled and turned the corner.

Hermione continued her walk down the hall to a door that had the name "**Ms. Granger**-_Assistant Editor_" inscribed into it. She smiled as she saw it, still proud of all she had accomplished. She turned the doorknob, a faint smile still on her face. The only good part about her office was that it had one of those large picture windows, showing off its amazing view of London proper. It was very rare that she ever look out of it though, the window blinds usually did their part in blocking it out.

"Another article finished." Her smiled widened as she picked up the stack of papers that were stapled together. This was the only thing that made her smile like that.

"What's this?" She asked herself, her voice a harsh whisper. She quickly sat down in the chair behind her desk, "A side note?" She frantically flipped through her pages, trying to figure out what had gone wrong, or if she had made a critical error in the editing process.

_You must put more dedication in your work, Mrs. Granger…_

"It's Ms." She corrected out loud, the anger apparent in her tone.

_You have been slacking. Another mess up like this could cost you your job._

"What?" She nearly shouted, "I have put my whole _life _into this job."

Hermione stood from her chair and tightened the grip she had on the four pages of hard work. Sure she had slacked off a bit, but she was Hermione Jane Granger, assistant editor of The Daily Prophet, Co-Chairwoman of the Literacy for Witches program, and advocate for the Witch's Rights Association. Nothing could stop her, not even rude remarks about her writing skills. All she had to do would be to confront the editor and try to persuade him that everything would be fine and she would write it over.

"Mr.Wiltman?" She knocked three times for good measure.

"Yes?" He sounded a bit disappointed. _Not a good sign_, she thought but tried to block out any negative thinking.

Hermione entered and shut the door behind her in a gentle fashion, "I'm here to discuss…" She trailed off and took a seat in the chair in front of his large, oak desk. _Why didn't_ she _have a polished oak desk?_

"I know," He held up his hand when she planted her unpublished article on his desk, he studied it as if it were garbage, "It's just not up to, what's the word…?"

"...my level?" She asked cautiously, "Because I know if I put more time into this..."

"It's just not what we are looking for at the moment," He clasped his hands together and his face remained expressionless, "We want a young woman who is excited about her life and interested in bettering the lives of others, _or_ a new fashion column."

"We have three fashion columns." Hermione interrupted, but yet again her input was ignored.

"We want a woman who is capable of writing a column that is…uh, _happy_." The editor frowned at her, exasperated that she wasn't getting it.

"My column is about real life. It's about what is happening around the world!" She paused and studied his face, "Do you want me to lie to my readers?"

"Not lie, per say, but thinking on the positive side of life," he smirked at her and his thick eyebrows twitched upwards, "Are you getting what I'm saying?"

"No." She said truthfully, sinking into the lounge chair, "I'm supposed to be happy in my writing?" She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning his weird attitude today.

"Not exactly, we just want to bring in new people." He sighed.

"Are you…" She paused, her brain calculating it out, "…are you firing me?"

"Ms. Granger. You are a great asset and many newspapers would be willing to take you." He added, as if that made it any better.

"It's fine." She said, faking a smile.

"Great, Ms. Granger, I'm sure another newspaper will…"

"Of course." She said and stood with the most composure she could muster, and left his office.

----------------

"He **can't** fire me," she said aloud in her office. Denial. She grabbed a box filled with papers and dumped it into the trash.

"Why is he firing me?" Questioning. She began throwing knick knacks and papers into it.

"That pig can fire me if he wants to. I can do better on my own." Acceptance. She grabbed her single box and left her office.

The elevator opened and she bumped into two people on her way in. She didn't let the tears come until the doors shut.

"I hate him. I worked s-so hard on ev.er.y._thing_." Thank god for empty elevators, "I try so hard to-be-become someone, and look where it gets me." Her voice was cracked from sobbing. Tears fell down her cheeks and she could taste the salt, it reminded her, for some reason of school, but she shook her head.

"We want someone who is happy," she mocked in a high pitched voice, "a bimbo blonde so you can grope her , you perv," she hissed, but started to chuckle through her hysteria. She wiped away her tears and looked up at the floor numbers blinking one after another.

"First floor." Hermione took out her wand and removed the puffy redness that revealed she was truly upset about getting fired.

* * *

_Hermione,_

_I heard about you. Even though, you don't work here anymore, I wanted to send you something. I'm sure this will cheer you up. _

_Love,_

_Allie._

Inside the envelope was a picture.

"The World Cup Champions," Underneath the picture was the name of the team, The Chudley Cannons. A list of players was also underneath the picture.

_Gregory Milcrot (Beater), Frances Jolioster (Beater), Harold Frankhort (Catcher), __**Ronald Weasley**__ (Captain)_…She stopped reading names.

"Ronald?" She sat up straight on her couch and studied the picture for the red head, "Ron Weasley," She said with sigh and a smile, "Long time …"

Her flat resembled her office. It was plan, dark and far from 'happy'. She had lived there for three years, able to afford the nice conditions with the excellent job. The Hermione she used to be would've wanted to cure diseases, help the homeless, and volunteer. But, you rarely get your dream job. Writing was another passion of her's. All of her teacher's always fawned over her essays; even Snape complimented her in-depth research on foreign potion making skills.

The thought of school caused her stomach to twinge again. Looking at the picture of Ronald Weasley brought back long forgotten memories. She was twenty three now. The Second War had ended five years ago, that was part of the reason that her friendship with everyone evaporated. She assumed some of her old classmates had died or left the country.

"I wonder if Ginny is doing alright…and Harry," She thought aloud, tempted to owl her. But, she didn't know where Ginny lived or worked or whether she was married. It would've been odd to think, back in her school years, that she would go five, almost six years, without speaking a single word to any of them.

She held the picture, still contemplating whether or not to send an unexpected hello. A little part of her brain felt excited to finally say hi and see how they were doing and then another told her that she would only be disappointed.

"Maybe I should just see how he's doing." She looked around her flat and rummaged around until she found some parchment. She smiled as she wrote the letter, all the memories of Hogwarts returning.

* * *

"Mum!" Ginny, twenty two, still supporting freckles and long red hair, held up a letter, "It's from Hermione!" She ripped it open and read it as soon as Harry entered the kitchen. 

_Ronald,_

_I saw your picture in the Daily Prophet, just seeing how everything is doing. I couldn't resist saying hello. _

_Say hello to Ginny and Harry, if you ever get a chance to._

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione_

_P.S. _

_I still am not sure if you still reside at your parents, if you do not I would hope you still receive this somehow. It'd be lovely to meet up again and talk. You and me and maybe all four of us. _

"Wow," Harry scoffed, "Took her long enough to say hello." He scratched his head and Ginny turned red with anger.

"At least she owled," she spat. "You would be mad if she never did. Better late than never, I say."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and left with her cup of tea. Harry shrugged and walked over to his fiancé.

"What should we say back?" Ginny asked, ignoring Harry's pouting.

"It's technically "Ronald's" letter," he pointed out.

"Stop being a smart arse!" She hissed and quickly sat down at the table, "Hello Hermione, we are happy to hear from you," she looked up at Harry for approval.

"It sounds fine," he said.

"We should _definitely_ find some time to meet up, maybe Diagon Alley, or here, at the Burrow, where Harry and I are staying before we can get off our feet. I have news for you, Ronald is still single by the way, but Harry and I are getting _**married**_," She squealed the last part. Harry rolled his eyes and began to make himself another cup of coffee.

"Hope to see you soon, love Ginny."

"_P.S_." She scribbled hastily, "_Our engagement party is on the 31st we would be happy if you came, it's at The Burrow_."

She ran to the window and directed their owl, Hedwig, to Hermione's flat.

* * *

A soft tap tap tap made Hermione jump out of her train of thoughts. She turned her head swiftly, not expecting a reply. 

"Hedwig." She smiled, petting the bird as she read the reply.

"Engaged?" She smiled again, "Ronald is single eh?" She smirked as she thought of all the possibilities. Maybe rekindling a romance would make her a more 'happy' person.

_Congrats, and I'd be delighted to come._

* * *

"Guess who owled last night?" Ginny nudged her brother when he came to visit, "Hermione." They sat down in the living room. 

"Really?" His face brightened, "Surprising, haven't heard from her forever."

Harry nodded in agreement and mumbled something like 'that's what I said', but Ginny sighed, "At least she said hello, you have got to give her credit for that."

"Hermione Granger," Ron repeated with a familiar look of lust on his face, "Haven't seen the bookworm in years."

"We've already established that," Ginny responded, "I invited her to our engagement party."

"Then that means…" Ron trailed off, thinking about all the possibilities himself.

"Yes, and so is your whole Quidditch team," she huffed, looking over at Harry. Harry had become a big fan of the team over the years, he was proud that his best friend was the Captain. Ron had changed the team; they were undefeated since last year. It was something to brag about, the least everyone could do was shut up about the minor mistake he had made. If his friend's saw that he could get The Chudley Cannons at his engagement party-they would be _more _than impressed. Ginny always found this to be a bit childish.

"And _that_ means…" Ron said looking a bit frustrated with the decision.

"Precisely," She crossed her arms over her chest, "_He'll _be there."

"It's not like he'll come anyway," Harry added.

* * *

_August 31st, the engagement party._

"The flowers look fine." Ron scowled at his little sister.

"I'm sorry I'm concerned about my _appearance_, **Ronald**," she looked at him in disgust, "You could have at least worn a better shirt,"

"This is a fine shirt!" He hissed and picked up a glass of wine from one of the dinner tables. The party was hosted outside, in the backyard of The Burrow, where they all used to play Quidditch together in their younger years.

"Don't drink so much," she barked, taking the champagne away and putting it to her lips, taking it all down in one swig.

"Ginny…" He whined, but before they could continue their fight, Harry took Ginny aside.

"Stop fighting," he said against her cheek, holding her hand tightly.

"I can't help it…" She whispered and he let go of her hand.

The room was filling up with people. Ron wandered over to the table filled with most of his teammates. Harry and Ginny anxiously awaited everyone's arrival and prayed no one had had too much of their elf wine even before the party started.

Hermione had her hair up in a messy, yet classy hairstyle she had perfected during many cocktail parties the editor had hosted. She didn't know what to wear to an engagement party, so she decided on a white, sparkly, dress that ended right above her knee. The make up she wore completed her look and with a deep, frustrated sigh, she stepped out into the yard. A soft breeze blew around them; the sunset overhead cast a pink glow. The crickets began to chirp and she felt out of place.

"There she is!" Ginny pointed to the girl in the white dress.

"Are you sure that's her?" Harry let go of her hand as she hurried across the lawn towards her long lost friend.

"Hermione!" She squealed and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Ginny?" Hermione felt better, "I haven't seen you in forever." She ended the hug to study her friend.

"Wow, Hermione Granger, top of the class…" Her smile widened, "And hot as ever, where's your sexy, rich boyfriend?"

Hermione laughed at the joke, "Still hasn't shown up."

"You mean he's coming?" She squealed, "What's his name?"

"Um, you'll meet him…" Why did she lie? Maybe jealously played a part, or just pure embaressment that she didn't arrive with a date like everyone else.

"Sorry about the…engagement party being on our lawn, we couldn't find a decent place that was cheap enough." She blushed.

"It's fine," Hermione smiled, near panic.

"Come on, Ron and Harry are _dying_ to see you!" Ginny wasn't so sure that they were, but she beckoned Hermione to follow her to where Harry was standing adjusting his tie.

"Hermione…" Harry forced a smile out of his nervousness.

"Hey," Hermione waved shyly, he looked much older than she ever remembered. His black hair was combed neatly and his green eyes showed that he wasn't that excited to see her. It was awkward, but it had been awkward between them since seventh year.

Ginny's smile softened and she pointed over to the table Ron was sitting at. Hermione felt herself try to shy away from talking to him, but before she could excuse herself, Ron caught her eye and left his table.

"He's coming over." Ginny nudged her friend.

"I have a boyfriend…" Hermione lied, nudging her friend back.

"Nice you see you again, Hermione." Ron held out his hand, but she didn't take it.

"Yeah you too," She looked him up at down and wasn't disappointed, "But I have to go find…someone…" Hermione meant that literally, but Ginny assumed it to be her handsome, successful boyfriend. That would be hard to find in this batch

"Okay, come back…" Ginny waved and her expression changed when Hermione was out of sight, "She's changed, a lot."

"Totally…" Ron was still staring at the spot she had been standing a minute ago.

"I didn't mean that!" Ginny said a hint of jealously in her words, "She seems…what's that word?"

"Hot, sexy…" Ron added.

"Gross Ron." His sister slapped him on the arm.

_Unhappy,_ Ginny thought, _that's the word._

* * *

"Excuse me," Hermione pushed her way through the crowd._ That was weird, they all seemed so different._

"Watch where you're going, _Miss._" A cold voice drawled.

"Sorry." Hermione looked up. _At least he got it right._ "For my…" She trailed off once her eyes met the ones of this blonde god. He glared down at her, his stature and intimidating nature seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place him.

"I get that a lot, but if-"

"I need a favor!" She blurted.

"A favor?" He continued to stare, "what _kind _of favor," His voice was very suggestive.

"Yes, a favor," She looked around and pulled him aside, "Will you pretend to be my boyfriend…Ginny thinks I do and I actually don't…they all think I'm some big business woman with this great life…"

"And you're not?" He finished.

"Well, I was…but…"

"What do I get?" He spat, straightening out his tuxedo.

"I dunno" She shrugged, "tell me _after_ I prove to Ginny that I do have a sexy, rich boyfriend…" She stared at the three of them.

"So I'm sexy?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah…" She nodded.

"This will be easy…" He smirked. _Does she not know who I am? _He thought to himself as she grabbed his hand and led him across the lawn, _oh well, this is a better way to ruin their engagement party instead of spiking that punch, which only worked at school._

As Hermione approached all three of them, they stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Hermione?" Ginny said, her voice hoarse, "Draco…. Malfoy… is your _boyfriend_?"

* * *

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter II: There She Goes

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Harry Potter world, I do own this storyline though…but I'm sure you know that already so on with the story!

**I would like to give a big shout out to my beta KATE! She rox! Her penname is Bela Skye! I Wuv Her!**

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**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter II

There She Goes

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"_**Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."**_

_**Semisonic, Closing Time**_

Hermione's body was struck with an instant feeling of indefinable shock. It felt like only a moment ago she was high with happiness, her job was excellent, her life pristine. The blonde boy from her past had reappeared and karma had just bitten her in the armpit. But, what had she done to deserve this sort of mishap? She would never know.

Draco knew this was an ingenious plan ever since she had asked him to oblige to her favor. Obviously, she didn't know who she was dealing with.

"Yes," Malfoy said with a sly, mischievous smile. The blonde was as cunning as ever, five years couldn't dwindle down his power of scheming, "This is the sexy and rich boyfriend she has been telling you about," He knew she was thinking back to the time she had called him exactly that.

Hermione, still in utter shock, watched her friend's as their jaws dropped. It was as if she was watching a movie play out before her. They gawked at her as if she expected her to say something, but she was as shocked as them. After a few seconds, Hermione felt her senses come back and she cleared her throat to gain some time before answering, "Yeah, this is him," She could see in their faces that this was _not_ the right thing to be doing, and it was _most definitely_ _not _the right person. When had she become so concerned and focused on pleasing them? Had it always been this hard for them to approve? Or was she just setting herself up for these high expectations?

Ginny's eyes softened, she wasn't the type to judge, but still…_it was_ Malfoy. It was the boy who had been making fun of the way her family lived, the boy who used cruel nicknames, and it was the same boy who now had his arms wrapped around her best friend.

Ron felt his thoughts stop. His father would say, "Those Malfoy's, they're trouble." So how do you react when your best friend is dating that trouble?

Harry's insides jumbled. His body heated up with a sense of hatred that he only had felt during his school years whenever Draco called Hermione a mudblood or when he smirked and made fun of the Weasleys. But, now it was an even deeper hatred because now…everything…just felt…different. He looked at Ginny, expecting her to solve it.

"Hermione would never go out with you." Ron spat and Ginny held him back and muttered something that sounded like, "shut up!"

Harry kept his mouth clenched, because if he didn't, he'd say something he'd regret.

"She is definitely not the type who would go for a guy like you!" Ron added and Ginny tried once more to shush him, "Hermione is Hermione, the bookworm who can't shut up about elf rights and that crap. Malfoy's do **not** date loud, muggle born, _brunettes_."

That came out wrong.

"Ron's right," Harry said indignantly, "Cut the crap Malfoy,"

Hermione felt a ping in her stomach when she heard those words come from Ron's mouth. Was that how they thought of her? She inhaled a sharp breath and could see Ginny getting as angry as Ronald.

"Malfoy you always said you thought Hermione was a disgusting mudblood, and we all know you're just toying with her because you are bored. Hermione is too conservative for you and you just want to use her!" Ginny was fueled up with rage.

Hermione could feel tears sting in her eyes. _I know they're trying to help, but it just…doesn't..._

"Excuse me…" Hermione said quietly while she looked down at the floor, trying to avoid contact with any of them because if she looked in their eyes the words would just replay in her mind for the second time, "I need to use the loo."

"No!" Draco grabbed her arm before she could flee. Hermione was caught off guard by the blonde's sudden movements.

"Hermione remember Krum? He only liked you because you were a hard egg to crack," Ron chuckled, "So I just can't imagine you dating _Malfoy_."

"Granger was the top of our class, if it wasn't for you gits dragging her down she could've graduated a year early!" Malfoy blurted, "Your heads are just too full with air to realize that!"

Oh, shit.

Pain welled from Draco's right eye, dimly registering in the back of his mind. Immediately he felt the swelling begin, flooding protectively around the sensitive skin near his eyes. He again tasted the iron of blood in his mouth and quickly spit it. Potter had punched him.

Ginny gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. As soon as she regained her nerves, she quickly grabbed Harry's arm before he could hurt Malfoy again.

Draco staggered back a bit. He could see Granger looking to her friends and then back to him a couple times, obviously trying to decide what side she was on. There was no doubt in his mind that she would agree with her friends.

Hermione pushed Draco away from her and walked as calmly as she could through the gathering crowd of curious guests.

Malfoy glared at the three of them for the millionth time before chasing after her.

ooooooOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOoooooOOOO

"Granger!" Malfoy called for her, but she ignored him. They stood beside the woods that surrounded the Burrow. The sky was slowly turning a shade of dark blue. There was a light chill in the air, but the look in her eyes made him forget all of that.

Hermione sighed and rummaged through her hand bag for her wand, "Get away from me!"

Draco flinched, he knew from experience the expertise Hermione showed in hexing.

"Stop pretending to be nice!" She yelled, referring to the incident that had just occurred, "You humiliated me!" He had never seen her so desperate and degraded. Her eyes glistened with resentful tears.

_What had happened to Hermione Granger?_

"You're the one who asked me for a favor, don't you remember?" He pointed out, but added this, "I wasn't humiliating you- I was the only one _defending_ you!" his voice quieted, but it was still harsh, "It seemed to be the theme of the party."

Hermione stared at his steel grey eyes that were the same color as a full moon, "They were _defending me_, not you!"

Draco grabbed his eye and winced. The pain had escaladed, he never knew Potter could throw such a good punch.

Hermione lowered her wand, not knowing what to say anymore. She was too tired to argue with him, especially when he was in this vulnerable position.

Instead, she reached out her hand.

Draco peered at her between his fingers, gazing unknowingly into her eyes as she took his hand away from his bruised eye. His ego and arrogance seemed to shrink a thousand times.

She whispered a simple healing spell before backing away, "It's healed." She said in the same soft whisper.

"Hermione!" It was Harry, "Are you okay?" He ran over to her, ignoring Draco's presence. An awkward feeling gripped Harry when he tried to comfort Hermione. It wasn't because she seemed distracted by Draco or because he had obviously interrupted something...this awkward feeling wasn't new.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She was still staring into Draco's eyes. His soft, fragile eyes turned into his original, cold, rigid ones as soon as he broke their gaze. She only nodded at the words Harry said and watched the blonde walk away from where he last stood and with a soft pop….

He was gone.

oooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooOOOOooo

"_I wasn't humiliating you- I was the only one defending you!"_

The words echoed in her brain like the dripping of the kitchen sink or the ticking of the clock as it crept towards midnight. A soft breeze blew through her window, disturbing the curtains. A wave of guilt and dread washed over her. It was hard to sleep in these conditions. She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling with half lidded eyes. Sweat trickled down her forehead as the summer heat wave hung over London. It was either the heat or her mind that kept her thinking of him. Was he right? Or…was he wrong? Did **they **make a point? Did guys only want her because…she was some sort of challenge?

"_You're the one who asked me for a favor, don't you remember Granger?" _

_**He recognized me, but I didn't recognize him? **_

"When did I become so _stupid_?" She let a long sigh escape her lips as she rolled over onto her other side, pulling the covers off of her. She wore a silk slip that ended right above the knee-she purchased it at a local lingerie store with her last paycheck. Now that she thought about it, no one would want to see her in it anyway. It was just a waste of good money.

"I _am _just the bookworm," she thought, remembering Draco's gaze. It was warm and comforting. It wasn't threatening or vile. It was sincere, "Don't kid yourself Hermione," She closed her eyes and leaned into her pillows.

With a soft sigh she whispered, "_No one_ can change, especially not him…"

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"What has gotten into her?" Ginny shook her head, her long red locks swaying back and forth. Her blue eyes showed that she was truly not grasping the concept of Hermione and Malfoy.

Harry had his back facing his fiancé as they lay in bed together. His mind was racing with different thoughts, scenarios, and flashbacks. _Stop!_ He would tell himself over and over again, but in times like this it was hard to forget the past. It was hard to forget her auburn hair or her freeing nature.

"I hope we weren't too hard on her…"

Harry rolled over to face her, "Maybe we were…" He breathed out, searching Ginny for a reaction. She chuckled flatly and leaned her head against the headboard. They were using the twin's old room, except all their furniture and unidentifiable objects had been replaced with a queen-sized bed and a small dresser in the corner.

"Yeah, maybe…she still is Hermione…even if…" She trailed off, nervously chewing on a strand of her hair, "…Malfoy…"

"I get it..." Harry hissed bitterly. His mind swirled with confusing thoughts. It was dark so she couldn't see the worried look etched on his face and she couldn't hear his last thoughts before falling into an uneasy sleep,

_I never thought I'd be able to see her again…_

ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo

As darkness turned into grey, Draco rose from his bed and planted his feet on the cold floorboards of his small, shabby house on the east side of London. He had moved out of the Malfoy Manor after his mother had disowned him. His father was gone, and he had been taken out of the will five years ago when he fled to get away from the war. He had actually helped Potter defeat Voldermort; the scar head should be thanking him. After all, he still had the Dark Mark engraved on his right arm-a constant reminder of what he could've been.

His bathroom was almost as small as a walk in closet. It had only the bare necessities, such as a toilet, shower, and sink, complete with a cracked mirror hanging above it. He opened the door roughly and trudged in, taking off his shirt before turning the shower on. He studied his eye in the cracked mirror- no bruising.

"_Hermione remember Krum? He only liked you because you were a hard egg to crack," Ron chuckled, "So I just can't imagine you dating _Malfoy_."_

"Ow!" The blonde cursed when he stepped into the shower. Steam crowded the bathroom, creating a sauna effect. He noticed he hadn't even bothered turning on the cold, "Damn it…"

His pale skin turned a light shade of red. He quickly turned the cold knob until he felt the temperature even out.

"_I just can't imagine you dating _Malfoy."

He grabbed his shampoo and squeezed the bottle a little too hard. A big glob plopped into his hands, "Bloody hell…"

_Now I'm sounding like Weasley._

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_

Hermione blinked a few times as a harsh grey light invaded her room. She groaned and with a dazed expression on her face, sat up and looked around her room. _It must've been a dream…_She thought, but a loud _tap tap tap _interrupted her thoughts.

She stumbled out of bed, deciding against making her bed in favor of investigating the noise she had heard. It grew louder as she walked into the adjacent living room.

The silhouette of an owl was visible in the window above her couch. Every so often it would tap against the glass with its long talons. She climbed onto the blue sofa and pushed open her window, allowing Hedwig to swoop over the couch and onto Hermione's arm. She sat down and stroked her feathers. She untied the letter and opened it:

_Hermione,_

_I'm terribly sorry about last night, _

_Ginny_

Hermione read it again and laughed, thinking back to Harry punching him, "He deserved it…" She knew she was lying to herself. This one time he really didn't, "All he does is prance around like he's some bloody _god_ …" Hermione smiled when she grabbed a pen and began writing a reply.

_Ginny,_

_It's fine...Malfoy isn't even my boyfriend._

Hermione stared at her response, "But…wait…what will she think of me? That I'm crazy and make up boyfriends because I'm pathetic and no one will go out with me? She'll think I…this is so confusing," She groaned and sunk into the cushions of the couch. Hermione glanced at Hedwig who had begun to seem anxious.

Cursing, she crumbled up the paper and started a new one.

_Ginny,_

_It's alright. He's doing fine. I had fun last night-I'm glad I _

_finally got to see all of you. Maybe we can get together _

_again soon._

_Hermione_

It was phony–but a far cry better than telling her the truth.

"Take this to Ginny," She tied the parchment to her talons and let her outside and watched as Hedwig flew into the sunrise. Her apartment was on the second floor-a nice building in the middle of the city. She had bought it on the first day at her new job at the Daily Prophet. It seemed so long ago. Now that her past was being dug up by some stupid guy she has hated her whole life, everything seemed so different. Her perspective was changing. Harry. Ginny. Ron…they aren't perfect…and neither is she.

It was a half an hour or so before Hedwig arrived at her apartment again.

"Good girl," Hermione pet her feathers.

_How about tonight? We can make a quick trip to Diagon Alley. Isn't that_

_where you work? Bring Malfoy. This is an apology for the incident last night. _

_Ginny._

The little white lies–they were catching up to her. Whoever said fibbing was harmless had obviously never been in a situation like this.

"That was just a formality Ginny," Hermione shook her head wearily, it wasn't like she actually meant she _wanted _to.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

"Harry _get dressed, _we're leaving in two hours," Ginny clasped on her earring and examined herself in the mirror, "Do these look okay?"

Harry eyed her with a look of dread and confusion, "Be more specific,"

Ginny sighed and grabbed one of his button up shirts she had just used an ironing spell on and threw it in his direction, "We're meeting Hermione and Malfoy for drinks…"

"What?" Harry spat, "Malfoy?" He scrunched up his nose at her, "Why?"

"For the way you acted." She stated and frowned at the dress she had chosen, "Is this a good color?"

"It's amazing," He said bitterly, "Now can you explain once again why you are forcing me to "have drinks" with him."

"And Hermione," She added.

"That only makes it worse," He mumbled.

"What?" Ginny turned around when she finished tying the back of her dress. It was a simple cocktail dress that required tying the back into a bow.

"Nothing…"

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

"Two hours," Hermione said nervously, crossing one leg over the other. She grabbed her address book and flipped through the pages, "No…not him…no…no…" She got to the last page.

"I don't even know where he lives…" She let out a frustrated sigh and just as she thought there was no hope left she saw the picture that she must've left on the coffee table.

"Allie…" She picked up the photograph for the article her former colleague was writing. Hermione studied the picture even more closely. There was one man that caught her eyes. That trademark silvery blonde hair and striking grey eyes. You couldn't forget that face, but for some reason she had overlooked him.

Draco grabbed his wand and pointed at the ceiling, a few drops of water landing on his face, "Reparo," He said and the hole in the ceiling quickly disappeared. Unfortunately a storm had soaked up London for most of the hour. The sweet smell of rain and ozone filled the house.

Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he settled down on his couch for a quick nap. He took it in one swig and closed his eyes. The rain was dying now, the pattering on the rooftop less frequent.

Instead of falling into a deep sleep his peaceful setting was ripped from under his feet by a loud knocking.

"Who the hell…" He muttered. Blaise would never come at this time of day because of his irrational fear of being stabbed or hexed by one of the local drunks that lingered quite frequently.

He turned the door knob, opening it just a crack.

"Granger?" He spat, opening the door further.

There she was, drenched. Her curly brown hair was flattened around her face, as it was tied down by the rain. She looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**To Be Continued…**

**_Author's Note: _**This past week or however long it took me to update has been quite annoying. School is a week away. But, I'm not too worried because I have one class with my best friend/beta Kate. We got accepted into Yearbook because of our knowledge in computer graphics and windows movie maker. Yay! We're going to write and design pages. I can't wait. So anyway that was all. I was stressed about getting accepted so that's partly why I haven't updated in awhile. The Staind/Three Days Grace/Crossfade concert is tomorrow. My last chance of summer fun…

Anyway **please** review. Tell me what you think…the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Oh! And I would like to thank my reviews for my first chapter! Thanks a bunch!

_Dark X Sorrow, BlackAndWhiteFlowersFall,Bela Skye, flip chick, Justine, steph, Darkest Dawn, Anna, and butterfly girl 123_


	3. Chapter III: Unexpected

Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world, I do own this storyline though…but I'm sure you know that already so on with it!  
_**Just a note**_: I haven't updated this story **in forever!** And I decided I wouldn't give up on this! Plus I'm bored since I already played all my video games and I'm exhausted from playing The Sims 2 for six hours straight... XP I also changed by penname…again….

* * *

A Story of a Girl

Chapter III

**Unexpected**

* * *

"What you are you doing?" Draco opened the door a little more, "Why aren't you with Scarhead and the rest of your "posse"?

Hermione shivered, the wind pounding against her back, "Because..." She hesitated. "I made a stupid mistake, alright?"

"Granger, Granger," He shook his head, the smirk returning on his face, "Come in then," He moved to the side and let her into his shabby apartment.

"Well this is lovely," She muttered sarcastically to herself, "I thought Malfoy's didn't live in conditions like _this_..." Saying that brought her back to her schooling years.

Draco ignored her and sat back on his couch.

Hermione looked around and saw Quiddtch paraphernalia all over. Posters, shirts, and schedules taped to the walls. She didn't prefer the decoration, but she could tell **he** loved it. She stood by the closed door and could still smell the lingering scent of shampoo and body wash.

"So..." She mumbled, taking a baby step forward.

"Granger, I haven't changed alright?" He stared straight through her. "You're right…" He muttered quickly.

"I-" She hesitated; " I don't know what you mean..."

He looked the other way, ignoring her once again. He slung his arm across the couch and stared towards the kitchen.

Hermione sighed, "I lost my job, and I'm losing my apartment."

Draco looked at her this time, "What?" He spat, "you lost a job?" He laughed, "This world _must_ be going to shit."

Hermione wasn't sure, but she figured that was a compliment, "And I have to make sure they don't figure out that I lost my job, have no boyfriend, and I'm being evicted." Instead of being sad about it, this time she actually started to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Draco hissed, "You're totally consumed in what they think of you."

"Yeah, but it is sort've funny that I didn't even recognize you at all..." She got brave and took a seat next to him, " I suppose I just got so caught up in the stuffy job." Was that really it? Sigmund Freud said that most of what we do is from our subconscious; so maybe what she did was make a subconscious decision to pick Draco Malfoy out of the crowd. Maybe -subconsciously of course- she _did_ think of Malfoy as the ideal person for her (at the time)-sexy _and_ rich. She wondered, subconsciously…was she **this **shallow?

"If you say so," Draco muttered, uncomfortable that she was sitting dangerously close to him, "but why _here_?" He stole a glance, then quickly looked away.

"Because-" She hesitated before answering, "because… you're honest."

"Honest?" He scoffed and looked at her, "What do you want?"

oooooooooooooOOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo

"They're supposed to be here." Ginny tightened the grip on her cocktail glass and tapped her long fingernails on the countertop.

"Oh well." Harry fidgeted in his button up shirt and dress pants.

"Oh well?" She hissed, "I spent twenty dollars on two cocktails."

"I thought alcohol was supposed to relax you..." He mumbled.

"Harry, what is wrong with you. They obviously are avoiding us, because you can never just...hold back, youknow?" She slurred the last two words and shook her head, "just go with it, and even if it's bothering you...ignore it...let Hermione make her own mistakes...**for once**."

Harry nodded, but ignored her whining, blaming it on the alcohol.

"She never has made _any _mistakes. Maybe she'll learn something, useful..." She chuckled bitterly and set down another empty glass.

"Maybe you should stop...drinking," Harry pushed her glass away from her. He didn't know his wife could be gulping down this many drinks when stressed out. He stroked her hair and sighed, _what am I going to do?_ He thought and all the while, he imagined Hermione was sitting next to him, crying about how Draco had been cold to her. Hermione would be crying to _him_ and not to anyone else, like Ginny or Ron and…god forbid…Malfoy.

"I'm fine," She said slowly and took a deep breath. Then Ginny looked up towards the door, "There they are!" She shouted, laughing hysterically.

"Hey!" Hermione dragged Malfoy with her. Harry noted that she was holding his hand…**actually**…_holding his hand_. For a minute he thought he was in the Twilight Zone again. Had the world been turned upside down, and if it had, and everyone else was changing, why wasn't he? Why did he still have thoughts of Hermione, his best friend? Why didn't that just go the fuck away? Ginny was there for him, he loved her…but Hermione…

Hermione looked at Harry, who was still lost in the resentful circle he had created, and smiled, "Hello, Harry."

His eyes widened, he looked like a lost puppy. It made Hermione's heart feel tighter and tighter the more he looked at her like that. She wondered, as the grip she had on Malfoy's hand loosened, why was he so incredibly sad when he had Ginny? He had everything **anyone** would want.

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "Hi." He didn't acknowledge Draco. Which, he noticed, Hermione ignored. Then, he thought _had Hermione just expected him to be rude to Draco and not notice his being there_? So, he changed his original motive, "Malfoy." He said as courteously as he potentially could, so it came out more stifled and brisk.

At Harry's sudden approval, Hermione sighed with relief and motioned Draco to follow her. Hermione sat beside Ginny; Draco sat beside Hermione. For the first few seconds it was quite awkward. Hermione decided to buy a drink, and while she was ordering, she noticed Harry had already finished the full glass of vodka she'd seen when she'd arrived. _What was he up to?_ She wondered as the bartender set down her martini. She grabbed a coaster from the stack and set it under her glass.

"A whiskey, straight up." Draco ordered, tapping his fist nervously on the counter.

"So…" When Ginny spoke, Harry's eyes followed Hermione, "Where did you guys meet!" Her voice was full of happiness, but Hermione didn't know whether to take it as sarcasm or hidden sincerity from those cocktails.

Hermione almost said their engagement party, but luckily Draco interrupted her, "A Quiddtch match."

"Really?" Ginny squealed in excitement and took another sip of her drink, "How fabulous!"

"Hermione doesn't even like Quiddtch." Harry had to put in and Ginny nudged him.

"It was a benefit for St. Mungo's and she had organized it, I happened to be one of the volunteer players." He put his arm around Hermione. Hermione felt herself nearly faint. They couldn't actually believe Draco Malfoy _volunteered_. Pretty soon, the secret would be out.

Harry nearly chocked on his drink, "Volunteer?" He spat and laughed bitterly.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Uh…" Harry looked from Draco to Hermione to Ginny in disbelief at their sincere expressions, "Yeah it is hard to believe, since mayb-"

"What he means is that why hadn't he been there?" Ginny glared at him and put her hand on his chest to stop him from pummeling Hermione's boyfriend.

Harry drew back his anger with another drink. He looked at all three of them through the corner of his eye. Maybe, he thought, this wasn't what it looked like. Maybe, something else was going on, because he just wouldn't believe that his was happening. Hermione hated Malfoy and Malfoy hated Hermione. The feeling was mutual and unquestionable because everyone knew that as a fact. He never thought that that fact could possibly be tested or changed in any way.

"It's getting late, Ginny." Harry grabbed her arm forcefully, "We better go."

"No, no, Harry you're such a party pooper!" Her loud voice brought all the attention to the fact that he didn't want to be there. He looked for Hermione's expression, but she was too busy whispering something to Malfoy to notice him.

"Surprisingly you did a good job." Hermione said in a surprised whisper, " You're the best phony I know."

"That makes two of us." Malfoy said, smirking.

Hermione hugged Ginny as they left and waved to Harry. Malfoy waved to both and followed Hermione out the door and into the cold, empty street. The rain had stopped, but Hermione still felt heated from alcohol buzzing through her. Malfoy chuckled, "What the hell?" He said.

"What?" She smiled, "What?"

He shook his head, "Granger, is that you?" He poked her, "Why am I here with you?

For a second Hermione thought he was having short-term memory loss, but then he laughed again.

"What's wrong with me, playing along with one of your mischievous schemes to make your friends believe you're still this perfect angel?" His smile faded, "When you're not. You're nearly as **evil** as me"

Hermione felt the gap between them get smaller and smaller.

"You're Miss Granger, a Gryffindor, you should be in your apartment…_reading_." He lightly brushed his hand over her flushed cheek.

"Is that so?" She asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

"It is." He said and with a soft crack, he disappeared.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!** **TBC! **


	4. Chapter IV: A Kiss To Kill All Kisses

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sort've stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away. Especially in these upcoming chapters, graphic sex is on it's way, so be forewarned- _

**Summary: **_**(Post-Hogwarts) **_

**Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of A Girl**

_Chapter IV _

_A Kiss To Kill All Kisses_

* * *

**O**nce Hermione apparated in front of her apartment door, she noticed a piece of paper tapped to her door: _**Notice!**__ You have twenty-fours hours to leave your apartment._

"Twenty-four hours!" She shouted as she unlocked her door, slammed it, and crumbled up the eviction notice. Didn't they warn you earlier about this? Yes.

They had. Her conscious told her, only a couple days ago. When she threw the paper in the wastebasket and watched it lying at the bottom pitifully, it dawned on here that she had nowhere to go. She thought about asking Ginny, but that meant actually admitting that she had lost her job. They'd find out about her pathetic lie.

Well, another part of her thought-_lie._

Hermione sat down on her couch and put her head in her hands. The alcohol was still buzzing through her, but as it wore off bit-by-bit, she starting feeling ill. "_Ugh_," She groaned, "Why does this have to happen to **me**?" It was the whole why me scenario and she didn't give a damn if she sounded the least bit pathetic. Her life was pathetic so, therefore, she had a fucking right to be pathetic. _I should really not mix Malfoy and alcohol-**ever again**._

She thought of all her friends hating her, Draco Malfoy nearly turning her on with his seductive whispering, and losing her apartment. All in a matter of a week! Hermione grabbed the extra blanket that usually hung over the couch and wrapped it around her. She certainly wasn't going to ask Draco if she could stay there. No way. _Not happening_.

* * *

"Harry." Ginny had awoken early to the sound of Hedwig scratching on the window. It was late in the afternoon, but she decided to let Harry sleep in before telling him the news. If he knew, she had thought ahead about this, he'd throw a fit like he had at their engagement party. Not that again. 

Her parents were in charge of the Burrow anyway, so it didn't matter **what **Harry thought anyway.

Harry's fluttered open, "What?" He said, his voice hoarse. He didn't have a shirt on, just his boxers and they were hanging off him loosely. Ginny smiled, _what a mess. _ She kissed his forehead and sat next to him.

"Hermione is moving in, she needs a place to stay."

"What?" Harry was wide-awake now, "Why? Doesn't she have that one place?" He sat crossed legged, his hair going every which way and the sheets were hanging over his shoulders. He looked fourteen again.

"Well, she said she wants to look for a better place. She sold it, but the place she was going to buy sold quickly than she expected. So, she's gonna stay here until she can find a nicer apartment."

_That_ doesn't make sense. Harry thought. If Hermione was with Malfoy, he was rich, she also was rich and successful, why didn't she just go to a hotel, or god forbid live with Malfoy? He didn't bring that up out of fear that Ginny might take it literally.

"When?" Harry followed Ginny out of the room and into the hallway, the sheet still wrapped around him.

"Today." Ginny smiled, happy that it would be like when they were in school. She missed that. A lot.

"Oh," Harry looked down sheepishly, what if Hermione saw him like this?

"Hi, Harry." Hermione turned the corner and waved, "Um, Good morning-afternoon I mean."

Harry blushed and stood there, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, hi."

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed him into their room and shut the door. "Sorry, he's _so dumb_ when he just wakes up."

Harry felt his face heat up. Hermione had just seen him in his boxers. Shit. Shit. He threw the sheet to the side and hurried to find jeans or something to put on. And those boxers were big on him because Ginny always bought everything two sizes too big. Right now he really didn't like Ginny.

After he got dressed, he came down for lunch. "Where's Molly?" He asked Ginny, avoiding Hermione's gaze.

"She went shopping somewhere, I can't remember what she said."

"Why not?" Harry asked, irritated, "Where's lunch?"

"You have arms, Harry." Ginny shot Hermione an annoyed look.

Hermione felt awkward. She didn't know how it felt to be Ginny, annoyed by your fiancé. It made her feel extremely out of place. The longest relationship she had ever had was with Malfoy, and that wasn't even real.

Harry was now searching the cabinets for something to eat, opening and slamming everyone to the point where Hermione wanted to yell at him as well.

"The cereal is in the bottom cupboard." Ginny called out.

Then there was silence, then a opening and slamming. "Oh." Harry said, "Thanks, Gin."

"He's _so_ childish." Ginny said, but Hermione saw that she was trying not to smile.

Harry sat down, with a loud clatter. The bowl and spoon nearly fell off the table and he set down the box of cereal and nervously began eating.

Ginny hesitated and tried hard to not look Hermione in the eye, "How's Malfoy?"

Hermione felt herself blush, "He's fine."

"That's good." Ginny said slowly. She noticed Harry had stopped eating his cereal to listen in. When she caught his eye, he quickly looked down.

* * *

The rest of the day went fine. Harry disappeared somewhere while Hermione and Ginny listened to the radio and talked. They did have a lot of catching up to do. She asked about Ron and Quiddtch and the plans for Ginny's wedding. 

"Ronald is doing well, well you saw him, didn't you?"

"Yes," Hermione said, smiling. They were sitting on the couch, facing each other, and gossiping like schoolgirls. "At your engagement party."

"Right," Ginny said sheepishly, "The engagement party." She snickered and Hermione laughed too.

"What a day, right?" Hermione said.

"An engagement party to remember."

Once their laughter subsided, Ginny said seriously, "I don't mind Malfoy, really, all the much." At least she was being honest.

Hermione looked down at her cup of coffee, "I really like him, Gin."

"Well, that's all that matters right?" Ginny smiled, "If someone hated Harry I wouldn't care either."

Hermione didn't know how to take it, but she knows Ginny means well.

There was the jingle of Harry's keys and he arrived home, carrying a few groceries, Molly following after him.

"Hermione, you're here already dear?" Molly hugged Hermione.

Hermione felt a sense of relief now that Molly was here.

Harry put away the groceries and went back up stairs. He couldn't stay in a room with the two of them, his wife to-be and the woman he's loved since…he shook his head. How had this happened? Hermione is with Malfoy…so why was he taking care of her?

He sat down on his bed and groaned in frustration. This situation was killing him. But, as he looked up and saw the picture of him and Ginny a week before he proposed, he couldn't stop punishing himself for still, after years, having feeling for Hermione. The picture was taken outside in the back, when Harry had just moved in. Ron had taken it. That was a good day. Hermione wasn't there to fuck it up.

Ginny walked in, carrying a bowl of soup and a piece of buttered toast. "I thought you might be hungry," He placed the try on their bedside table, "Eat."

Harry nodded and smiled wearily.

* * *

Hermione had just settled in for the night when she heard a loud boom of thunder. She must've turned over a million times during the course of five minutes. Man, did she miss her apartment. The walls were thick and you couldn't hear a thing. She sighed, the blankets were itchy and smelled like Molly had used too much soap. The pillows weren't as soft as she was used to. 

_But, it's all I've got now_…

Harry looked over his shoulder and knew that Ginny was asleep because she always mumbled in her sleep. She was saying something about wedding bouquets when he tiptoed out of the room and down the hallway. He was clad in his boxers and a tight white t-shirt. Hermione wasn't just Hermione, not like she had been the day he proposed to Ginny. She was only a couple doors down, asleep, and if he didn't know or do anything, it would destroy him. He couldn't stay up, half-asleep thinking of what could be, he had to take action, if it didn't feel right, he'd know he loved Ginny and these feelings were just remnants of what he had felt years before… _before_ he had fallen in love with Ginny.

He had to find out, he just had to.

Do I still love her? He asked himself, as he turned her doorknob as quietly as he could. She lay on her side, her back facing him. She's asleep too, he thought and walked over to her bed. He sat down beside her and watched her sleep.

Hermione tried her best to pretend to be asleep, but she just couldn't figure out why he would want to watch her sleep when all this time he had been avoiding her like the plague. So, bravely, she turned over and looked up at him. He turned red and sat there, bound to the spot by pure guilt. He had been caught.

"Harry?" She said softly, still wondering why he was staring so intently at her. What was happening…?

He leaned down, slowly, hesitantly, and brushed his lips against hers. His raven black hair tickled her face. She didn't resist, instead…she kissed him back, and all the while her mind screamed at her, kicked and punished her.

It wasn't like it was **Malfoy**. It was _Harry_.

The way he gently touched her, like he felt something more than just pure lust. The way he rubbed her cheek as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and brushed against hers, waiting for her to respond. Then, he leaned down, on top of her, his hardness rubbing erotically up against her inner thigh. She felt a hot, throbbing feeling began to erupt in her lower regions the more her grinded his hips against hers.

Hermione gave in, the way she always did. Harry was everything a girl could want-handsome, sweet, and undoubtedly the best thing that could happen to you.

Ginny didn't even cross her mind. She should've, _oh yes_ she should've. But the feeling of his butterfly kisses, the way he ran his hands up and down her back rhythmically. It felt right, not awkward like this morning when she'd seen him in only his underwear. She felt herself instinctively open her legs for him and he drew himself closer to her.

She moaned softly into his mouth. Harry stopped kissing her lips and went for her neck. He felt himself slip into a state of pleasure, one that he knew he wanted and one he could not have.

_Yes_, he thought, as he began to unbutton her top, _I love her… I__** fucking**__ love her_.

* * *

**Author's Note: This was really, really, really fun to write! Tehe. Please review because there is delicious goodness in the next chapter the more reviews you give me, the faster I will update! I mean it, no reviews, and no next chapter! Those who have reviewed, I adore you with all my heart!**

**Love,**

**Lyn Lloyd : )**


	5. Chapter V: He's Everything You Want

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sort've stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away. Especially in these chapters, graphic sex is here, so be forewarned- _

**Summary: **_**(Post-Hogwarts) **_

**Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter V

_He's Everything You Want_

* * *

**H**arry finished unbuttoning her top, and the pink, lace bra that had been hiding underneath it peaked out. 

Hermione searched his face for some answers. _What the hell was he doing here? Why wasn't he with Ginny? He should be with Ginny_. That's all she could think. As he began to slowly slip his tongue in her mouth, she couldn't do this…. but why could he? How was this even possible for him?

It felt uncomfortable, having Harry lying on top of her. His kissing was rabid and selfish. It didn't feel right, none of it did. Hermione grabbed his shoulders and pushed him up. His face looked blank and like he just had a sexual overdose. Her clothes weren't even off and he was all over her. She couldn't grasp the fact that everything wasn't perfect with her friends. Harry was obviously not that happy with Ginny, and Ron didn't even live at the Burrow anymore.

A lot has happened since school.

Then, as he bent down and kissed her again and again, she lost grip on reality. The smooth feeling of his skin, his scar that you could only see lightly now, and his soft, caring lips. _This is what I need_, she kept thinking, but Ginny kept falling into her mind, but she kept blocking it out.

_She'll hate you._

Harry kissed the crook of her neck.

_She'll never talk to you again._

Hermione slid out of jeans.

_Ginny loves him._

Hermione opened her eyes. "She loves you." She whispered, and Harry stopped kissing her shoulder and stared at her. She repeated herself, "Ginny. She loves you."

Harry closed his eyes as if he didn't want to look at the scene in front of him. Cheating wasn't exactly the best thing to do when you're engaged to someone. Your marriage hadn't even started and now you were kissing another woman and loving every minute of it.

"I…know." Harry searched her face, he thought she'd slap him or scream at him, but she didn't. There faces were inches apart. He could feel the soft warmth of her breath whenever she spoke.

"Then why are you doing this?" Hermione asked.

Harry took awhile to answer-guilt was written all over his face, "Why are you?"

Hermione stared at him. She didn't know. Why was she? What was she doing? When he tried to kiss her again, she moved her head to the side. She couldn't do this when Ginny was only doors down, sleeping and probably dreaming about the wedding. She felt like **such **a bitch.

Hermione watched as Harry got dressed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything; instead he just stared at the opposite wall. A part of her felt guilty for not wanting him and another felt guilty for wanting him in the first place. Why was everything about her life becoming more and more complicated? It was as if she attracted these complicated situations. It was yet another _why me_ moment.

"I missed you, Hermione." Harry finally said as he stood.

Hermione slowly sat up and covered herself with her blankets, "I missed you too, Harry."

He stopped in front of the door and right before he opened it Hermione said, "I won't tell her."

* * *

Draco tapped his foot nervously. Where was she? She was supposed to be here. Fuck that _stupid_ woman. 

Then there was a soft knocking. _Finally_, he sighed. He got up from his couch and checked himself in the mirror before opening the door. It was cloudy and dark for the second time this week. His electricity had been shut off, so there was no hope for some decent light, except for maybe his wand, and he didn't get his monthly Quidditch check until Thursday. You think he should be making a lot more money than this, but no, since Weasley controlled the team, nothing seemed right about that anymore.

There she was, standing at his doorstep with tearstains on her face. Narcissa Malfoy.

"Hey." Malfoy stood out of the way as a way to say, come in.

"Is that how you greet your mother?" She said harshly when she entered. He closed the door and rolled his eyes, "Fine, good afternoon Mother."

Narcissa was dressed in a tweed overcoat with matching gloves and hat, and a black skirt that went past her knees. Her high-heeled boots and name-brand accessories popped in this surrounding. She looked hesitantly at the tattered couch before sitting down.

"It's not going to kill you." Malfoy snarled. "Ungrateful—"

"I'm here only to tell you about your father."

"What about him?"

"Well, he's sick."

"Sick, how so?"

"He doesn't have long."

Draco realized that that was the reason for her messy makeup and tearstains on her cheeks. Suddenly, his view on the situation changed. His mother knew this and came all the way here to tell him. It was ridiculous, considering that fact that his entire family had disowned him. But, as he looked at his mother who was close to tears, he had a sudden urge to comfort her.

"You're the only heir left."

"Is that all you care about?" He shouted. So _this _is the reason she showed up. He had always known that the only reason he was ever born was to join the Death Eaters and keep the family line going, _pure _and rich. It wasn't like he didn't love his mother, but that didn't mean he liked her. It was the same with his father. No matter how evil a he can be Draco still wouldn't want him dead.

"I just want you to come back, please."

"So you can keep your money?"

"No. _Please_…he wants to see you."

"You disowned me, remember?" He shouted. "I can't just go back mother!"

"Yes you can."

Draco shook his head and stopped pacing, "Well, when can I see him?"

"Right now."

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep the entire night, so when she finally got up from her bed, her eyelids felt heavy. Her stomach felt sick from hunger. When she looked at the door, she thought of Harry. The way he kissed her and touched her. It was so great and everything she's every wanted, but something in the back of her mind screamed out at her that it didn't feel right. And it wasn't just because of Ginny, but more because she really didn't' love Harry the way he loved her. 

It was a totally different. The way she kissed him wasn't full of the love he had for her, but full of desperation. She loved the way she felt in his arms. Hermione hadn't felt like that before. It just wasn't the right moment. If it had been back at Hogwarts, she would've fallen right into him and forgotten everything. That was a fact.

She wouldn't kiss him if she had no reason to. Old feelings hovered over her whenever he looked or smiled at her. That wouldn't happen any time soon. She would have to move out soon. But, yet again, she really didn't have anywhere else to go.

She swore that if there were an offer, she would take it in an instant.

Because…if Ginny ever found out about it because of her, she would hate herself for ruining everything for them. So, the faster she got out of there, it was less likely for her to blurt it out. She'd have to tell Ginny if this guilt tortured her.

* * *

Draco opened the front doors to his father's room in the Malfoy Manor. His father lay, his long blond hair tucked into a ponytail, his face pale, on his large four-poster bed. His eyes were closed. Blankets covered his frail body. 

"He's sleeping." Draco said to his mother, who ran to his bedside and kneeled in front of it. She grabbed his hand and intertwined it with hers.

Suddenly, his eyes opened, "Draco." He said in a hoarse voice.

Draco stood frozen in the doorway. His father was dieing and all he could do was stand there. When did he come to be this pathetic? He was doing favors for a mudblood and becoming less and less like who he should be. Looking at his father made him think about who he should've been. Back when he was younger he couldn't even have comprehended living by himself with barely enough money.

"Father." He slowly stepped in.

"I see I'm back in the will." Draco was now standing at the end the bed, staring straight into his father's eyes. They looked identical, but Draco was only younger.

"Yes." Lucius said.

"I guess that's good news." Draco smirked.

When Hermione went downstairs, the living room was empty, except for Harry who was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Harry?"

He stopped shaking and she knew he was crying, he didn't look up though when she sat next to him.

"Where's Ginny." She put his hand on his back and his whole body stiffened. She looked hurt and moved it away.

"You ruined everything." Said Harry, his face still cradled in his hands. What was happening? Did Ginny find out?

"How did she find out?"

"I don't know!" He shouted and stood up, still not looking at her. "I don't even know if she did! She just left!"

Hermione felt stupid. She wasn't the one who told her. Hermione stood up defensively. This was not her fault. None of it was.

"She left?"

Harry fell silent.

"It's not my fault, Harry. You were the one who kissed me! You were the one you wanted _me_!" Hermione felt tears surface. Why the hell had she gotten back into this? Her friends didn't want her there. This was all just a façade, why did she even think everyone would actually be together again like it used it be? It was dumb of her to have any hope of rekindling that.

Harry turned around; he looked pissed off, "If you had never written that bloody letter in the first place, Ginny would be here right now!"

"Why don't you go back to Malfoy?!" He shouted at her.

Malfoy. That's right. Hermione had forgotten about their deal. She had forgotten that Harry actually believed all that.

"I don't believe it anyway!" Harry shouted at her, "You don't love him, otherwise you would've pushed me away last night, but you didn't!"

Hermione felt her face heat up. She knew she was blushing, more out of guilt than actually admission.

"I did it because…because I had the biggest crush on you during school, but you never noticed that, you only noticed Ginny!" She blurted, and then she covered her mouth. Damn it, why did she have to say that.

Harry's expression softened, "I guess that makes two of us then."

Hermione sighed, "Whatever, Harry now look what you've done!"

"Ginny left on her own accord, _I _didn't tell her."

"What?" Hermione shouted, "Then why did she leave you?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't care enough, that's what she said. But I think she knows, she just didn't say anything about it." He admitted.

Hermione sat down on the couch, mentally and physically exhausted of the entire thing. Being an adult was totally overrated. You had sex, marriage, and relationships, plus you had bills to pay and boring jobs you hated. When she was in school, the only thing she worried about was friends and school. Plus, the war, but even that felt easier than this.

"I think you should go."

* * *

Draco opened the door to his apartment. At least now he had money, but another part of him rejoiced that his own family didn't disown him. He was about to grab the whiskey bottle from the drawer of his bedside table, when he noticed Hermione Granger, fast asleep on **his **bed. What did she want now? If only he could just be rid of her. 

"Granger." He poked her, but she just rolled over. Draco also noticed a suitcase in the corner of his room. "Granger!" He shouted.

Hermione woke up, surprised to see him there so soon.

_I must've fallen asleep. _

"Why are you here?" Draco's fuming face made her want to laugh.

"I got kicked out, where the hell else am I suppose to go?"

"Anywhere else!" Malfoy shouted.

"Stop shouting at me!" Hermione said and lifted herself off the bed. She was fully clothed and the memory of Harry flashed into her mind.

"_I think you should go." _

Draco stood, not sure if he should yell more or kick her out. Or both. "I live here alone. Plus I'm moving out soon."

"Where to?"

"Back home." But then he wondered why he was telling her this, "It's none of your business what I do anyway."

Hermione looked down, "You're such an ass."

He smirked and went to the living room, Hermione following after him. He sat down on his couch and decided against having a drink with Granger again. Bad things might happen if he was drunk and there was a woman in his apartment.

"Do you have anything to drink?" Hermione sat down next to him, unfazed that he had just shouted at her to get the fuck out of his apartment, but by now he was too annoyed to start bitching at her again.

He had no idea why he said this, "In the bottom drawer of my bedside table." But now, he thought he desperately needed something if Granger was going to actually sit next to him and try to start a conversation.

She came back seconds later with half a bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses. She set them down and poured hers all the way to the top until it was almost spilling over. She gulped it down in one swig and set it down and made an annoying "aahhh" sound every time she did.

Draco didn't want to catch up with her, he'd rather her be vulnerable than have it the other way around.

After a few glasses of whiskey later, Draco was nearly falling over with laughter after hearing the story of her and Harry.

"What a desperate prat!"

Hermione felt a tiny bit of her hated herself for laughing about it…with Malfoy.

"Yeah." Hermione chuckled, "He was desperate."

"I bet I wouldn't let you get away." Malfoy blurted, then he laughed. Who would've guessed that Malfoy was this fun when he was drunk?

"What are you trying to say?" She had lost her mind from this whiskey. Strong stuff.

Malfoy leaned in and whispered, "You wouldn't think of _my_ fiancé if I were the one fucking you."

Hermione felt herself nearly faint. His voice was so alluring. "I-I didn't have sex with him."

"Good." Draco was still whispering in her ear. His breath tickled her skin and the scent of him, rugged and manly, made her want to jump him. So badly, in fact, that she felt herself gripping the couch with her hand to stop herself.

Malfoy moved in, he set his shot glass down and pushed her down on the couch. First her kissed up her neck, then her jaw and her lips. He was a great kisser, every move she felt herself collapse. Harry didn't make her feel like this. It was Malfoy that moved his hand under her hand and tugged at her hair, it didn't hurt but the forcefulness of it made her want to rip off all his clothes.

They were drunk, oh yes, but when you're drunk even though you tend of lose you inhibitions, you're true self is revealed. It felt good to be in the arms of the enemy. It felt good to be bad for once. To be making out with Draco Malfoy in his shabby apartment on the east side of London, not knowing where you're going or if you'll get another job or another place to live. It felt good that for once, she didn't know where life was taking here. Things were just happening.

As Draco unbuttoned her top, she didn't think of Harry or Ginny or anyone for that matter, just the feeling of his lips against the top of her breasts that were peaking out of her bra, or the way he slowly ran his hands up her sides and under her, to her back where he unclasped her bra.

He moved her shirt to the floor, where it lay useless. It was dark so you could only see their slight outlines.

His blond hair looked silver and the sweat the trickling down his neck and onto her bare breasts shimmered in the moonlight. He removed his shirt and pressed his lips against her nipples, biting, and teasing them until Hermione felt so close to the edge that she moaned loudly. And it felt good, the sexual tension between them made this ten times more pleasurable.

As they were kissing again, he moved his hand under her underwear and fingered her hole until she could barely breathe. She was virgin, so it felt sore at first, but eventually that soreness turned into an unbelievable pleasure. Draco sure knew what he was doing. He inserted another finger and moved them both in a scissor motion and she moved her hips in the rhythm he had started.

Red marks formed on his back as she dug her fingernails into his back. They stung him and he winced but bet down again and kissed the crook of her neck and down her to her shoulder, where he rested for a minute, then he removed his pants and boxers. They were straining him and he couldn't take it anymore. Hermione felt him, naked against her stomach, she gasped, but this time more in pleasure than surprise.

Malfoy helped her out of her jeans and then her underwear. He moved across her body with his lips and tongue, working his way down to her inner thighs. She grabbed his hair when he entered her with his tongue and her hips bucked instinctively.

She felt sweat trickling down her face when he stopped. Then he climbed up on top of her again and she wrapped her legs around his waist, waiting for him to thrust inside her.

"Do you want me?" He asked firmly.

She moaned a yes and he slowly entered, each inch causing Hermione to dig her nails deeper into his skin. He winced again. He rested his hand against the crook of her neck and began thrusting intensely in and out, in and out, and she followed his lead.

When they both finished, he collapsed in her arms and began kissing her again, more fiercely than the first time. They felt like exhausted kisses though, wet and hot. She closed her eyes and felt herself on the brink of sleep.

He stopped kissing her and lay his head on her shoulder and fell asleep.

_**To Be Continued…**_

* * *

**Author's Note**: 

_Sorry for the delay, but I was up till three since I went to the first showing of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. I dressed up w/ my best friend Kate as Slytherins. We have these awesome outfits. It was packed at the theater, like a mob of people. We also saw a really, really, hot guy dressed up as Draco Malfoy. _

_We were both ready to jump him. _

_I thought OOTP was disappointing, but it had its good points. The filming was pretty awesome…I just can't wait until the sixth movie or the last book! _

_Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I hope this chapter wasn't too graphic; I don't want to offend anyone lol. I'm not offended by sex, but some people are and if you're one of them I'm sorry! _

_I hope you loved this chapter! Once again, if I get no reviews I won't write another chapter, so no reviews…no next chapter! _


	6. Chapter VI: Forgive and Forget

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sort've stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away.  
_

**Summary: (Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of A Girl**

Chapter VI

_Forgive and Forget_

* * *

Draco woke up, his body sticky from sweat; yet warm because of the woman lying under him. What happened last night? Had he picked up a random girl or something? Then he opened his eyes further and lifted his head to examine the sleeping woman under him. Hermione Granger? 

"What?" He said aloud. "How---"

Hermione moved over on her side and wrapped her arms around his chest, still asleep. His stomach flip-flopped at the intimacy. Had they? He looked down at their naked bodies. Yes. They most definitely had.

Draco sighed… did anything matter anymore? It seemed like that answer was no. He laid there, Hermione's arms wrapped around him, thinking that maybe it really didn't. Did his purity change if he had sex with a mud blood? If his parent found out about this 'incident' he'd be disowned, again, and he would lose his rights to the fortune, again.

Why was he even helping Granger out anyway? Everything was her fault. From making out with that stupid Potter to being kicked out of the apartment, to having sex with him. _He_ remembered it. Well at least, now he did, the memories coming back in brief flashes.

Hermione's eyes fluttered opened, her hair was messy, but a different kind of messy, a beautiful messy. She blinked a few times before staring at him, wide-eyed. "Malfoy?" She squeaked, "Did we?"

"Yes," He sat up, fully nude at the edge of the couch, and all she could see was the cleavage of his buttocks and his naked back. She watched him in awe. Wow. She had sex with _that_. Hermione really couldn't remember the exact details of him from last night, but from the soreness between her legs, she was pretty sure she had a good estimate in mind.

Hermione suddenly felt like Eve when she discovers her own nudity and a blush surged up her face.

Malfoy looked back at her and her face was as red as a tomato. "Blanket?" He asked.

"Read my mind." She said, feeling anxious. Malfoy had seen her stark naked. She didn't know if she liked that fact or hated it. But, mostly, she decided she liked it.

He came out carrying a small red blanket and covered her up. A warm feeling embraced her when he wrapped it around her. And it wasn't only because of the warm blanket. Malfoy, while retrieving that blanket, had pulled on a pair of his gray boxers. She noticed a strange tattoo on his arm.

"What's that?" She sat up, holding the blanket against her chest so it covered her breasts.

"Nothing." Malfoy hissed at her, "I wanted a tattoo."

Hermione backed off a bit, but still couldn't get it out of her mind. What if she was sleeping with a Death Eater? Sleeping? That sounded as if she wanted to continue having sex with the bad boy.

"How long are you staying?" He asked, looking at her for an answer.

"Shouldn't I be asking that question?" She smiles, but he doesn't seem to get the joke.

"I mean—"

"I know what you mean." Hermione wrapped the blanket around her and stands up.

"My mother has decided to let me stay at the Malfoy Manor alone." He stands up, his gaze is a hectic and nervous, but he finally decides what he is going to say.

"So? What does that have to do with me?"

Draco shook his head, why was she so stupid? "Nothing." He said angrily. "Just forget it."

"I won't have anywhere else to live if you leave."

"Get a job then." He blurted.

"Well look what happened to my old one."

She wanted to scream at him. This was his fault. Why did he go along with her at that fucking engagement party? Did he have this sick fantasy about how he would do favors for a mud blood or something? He's Malfoy! Of course he wouldn't so why was he just being so…so bloody…self-centered? That wasn't the word at all.

"I can't make enough money in a week, Malfoy, or however long you're planning to live here."

"You'll work at the Manor."

Hermione gave him a weird look, "What?"

"As a maid."

"What?" She said again, "How much will I make?"

"Enough." He said, smirking as he walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a carton of orange juice.

Well the Malfoys _did _have a lot of money (which was something she desperately need right now), so whatever she would be making would be a hell of a lot better than any other job. Plus, she got free boarding in the maid quarters.

"Have you discussed this with your mother?"

"I didn't discuss any of this with my mother, from now on it's my house, not hers." He gulped down half the carton and stared at her before speaking again, "My mother doesn't own anything of the Malfoys, just my father is all."

Hermione wondered how all of this was figured out.

"How much do I get paid?" She asked again, trying to get a better answer this time.

"Enough."

* * *

Ginny walked through the front door of the Burrow. She saw Harry fast asleep at the kitchen table, holding a picture they had taken at the engagement party, with everyone in it-Hermione, Ron, Harry, and her. 

"Harry." She shook him awake.

His eyes were bloodshot.

She sat down beside him, "I'm sorry." She whispered. She didn't know why she was speaking so softly, but it fit the situation well.

Harry watched her; he didn't know what to say because he didn't know what she knew.

"I-I just thought you…you still had feelings for her."

"For who?" He tried to play the innocent act.

"Hermione."

Harry lowered his head, "I don't." He looked back up at her, his voice sincere. "I love you. That's why I'm marrying you."

"I know…" Ginny was trying to make sense of this.

* * *

Hermione checked herself in the mirror. The maid outfit wasn't bad and it didn't look like something in a porno like she had expected. It was a black skirt and a black top, no frilly stuff or bonnet to go with it. Draco handed her an apron and a duster. 

"Now clean." He ordered, but before she could go off he added, "If my mother finds out that I'm letting a mudblood sleep with me, she'll hit the roof."

"Letting me sleep with you?" Hermione said defensively, "Who said anything about—"

"She'll suspect it Granger, you obviously don't _know_ my mother."

Hermione felt ashamed. She was being hidden. How lovely, she thought, and she wasn't even sure what he meant by any of this. He was one strange guy. One minute he's shouting at her and the next he's giving her a place to stay and 'letting her sleep with him' as if it was a high honor for her. Whatever, she thought, as long as I no longer have to worry about where I'm going to stay next.

_I did say I'd take the first offer. _

"And there's on condition." Malfoy smirked, "You'll have to pretend to be my fiancé whenever she visits."

"But doesn't she know?"

"No." Malfoy smirked, "She knows nothing of you, Granger."

"I'm confused, so I'm your maid normally but when your mother comes to visit I'm your fiancé?"

"Isn't it time to return the favor Granger?" He asked, "You said I could ask for anything."

"True." Malfoy had got her there.

Touché.

* * *

Ginny studied the picture. Had he been staring at her or Hermione? She had forgiven Harry. The wedding was still on, for some reason. It wasn't like she could call it off now. It was too late. 

He had convinced her that he did love her and he wanted to marry her. But _why_ did he have to convince her?

She blocked it out of her mind. No way was this going to stop the marriage. She did want to marry Harry, but she expected it to be the perfect wedding, and for everyone to be jealous of how perfect their lives where. So, as she ripped up the picture and threw it away, she figured it was worth forgetting about Hermione Granger for the sake of her marriage.

Harry had fallen asleep and his mind was haunted by dreams of Hermione kissing him like they had kissed in her room. But now in the dreams Malfoy was there, making love to Hermione like he had wanted. It hurt him in his chest to think about this and right before the end of this dream, he awoke to Ginny climbing into bed next to him.

"Did I wake you?" She asked quietly.

"No." Harry said, sweat trickling down his neck.

"Goodnight then." She whispered and turned so her back was facing him.

Harry realized that Ginny was very good at ignoring the bad. He was going to marry her and this thing with Hermione would all be forgotten about in ten years.

* * *

"_Why_ do I have to pretend to be your fiancé?" 

"At my age I should be married. It'd look better." Malfoy sat down in one of the armchairs near the fire, "You really don't know anything about purebloods, do you?" He chuckled at her.

"Yes I do!" Hermione took a sip of the elf wine he had given her. She sat on the floor near the fire, her back to him, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Plus if I got kicked out of this house, so will you." He added.

"I know..."

"You know nothing." Draco's expression changed from fairly happy to angry in a matter of seconds, "You don't have any idea how my family is, Granger."

Hermione felt slightly embarrassed. She really didn't know about the Malfoys, except that their son can be an insufferable prat and the rest of them were probably just the same.

"What's there to know?" She scoffed.

Malfoy didn't answer her. Hermione Granger grew up where no one knew your reputation as a family, where the only thing she had to worry about was doing magic in front of other Muggles. Her father was not a Death Eater, and her mother wasn't in love with one. He felt the Dark Mark burn a little when he looked at her, like it was reminding him of how wrong this was—how wrong it was to be falling in love with a mudblood.

"Shut up!" He shouted, "I don't even know why I'm letting you stay here." He stood up and slammed his glass on the side table, his long robes swept against the shiny wooden floors as he stomped off. It was inappropriate and unnecessary, but a part of him still wondered why he had rescued her in the first place.

Hermione watched him leave, her heart heavy in her chest, _**it's from the wine**_ she told herself.

Draco knew one other thing, that on the surface he couldn't let anyone know what he really felt underneath—that his love for Hermione wasn't just temporary like it had been with Pansy or any other girl he had fucked or fooled around with. But, Hermione was helpless and innocent and she was asking him about who he was and what his family life was like as if she were a regular friend.

He couldn't sit there and let her know that he loved watching her sip her wine slowly and eloquently, as if she was trying to impress him with her manners. As if, his opinion of her did matter, as if…she loved him back.

But, as he walked up the curved staircase to his bedroom, his mind fought back against those _feeble_ emotions, _It's Granger, the disgusting mudblood from your school years…you couldn't possible have any remorse for her, could you?_

* * *

Hermione stared solemnly up at the ceiling. The light that hung above her was fancy and decorated with so much detail she couldn't believe it was done by hand. Everything here was personally made just for the Malfoys and handed down by generations. She remembered at the house she grew up, the only heirloom she had was her grandmother's necklace that she kept in a box that was now locked up with the rest of her luggage in the closet across from this bed. 

But, she thought, _**this bed**__ must be an heirloom; this __**whole house**__ is an heirloom. _

She wondered what it was like to be someone so refined. Malfoy must've been taught at a young age how to set a table properly, or how to address a lady, or…how to dance.

Hermione rolled over on her side and stared at her reflection. A tall, ivory mirror stood against the wall at the right of her bed, she saw her curly brown hair strung out everywhere around her head, and her brown eyes staring back at her. How boring, she thought, brown and brown. She had always wanted blue eyes or green eyes, but her mother had always reminded her of how beautiful her eyes were whenever she thought like this.

Night had already fallen and she thought about how Malfoy must already be in bed. _ There's a library. _He had told her while they were sitting by the fire. She had lit up when he said this; it was nice that someone else noticed her love for knowledge. The fact was, she hadn't read a book in three months. Her work had kept her busy and then…Malfoy and everything else happened.

She got up slowly and didn't bother putting a robe over her white, spaghetti strap nightgown.

It's downstairs, right below your room… 

Hermione crept down the left, curved staircase and passed Draco's room. The door was shut and no light illuminated from under the tiny crack under the door. She sighed with relief.

When she arrived at the library entrance, she pushed the heavy doors opened and looked in awe at the hundreds of books that lined the shelves. A long ladder lined the one of the shelves.

It was quiet except for the ticking noise that came from the large clock that hung above a small fireplace at the end of the long aisle between the fiction and the non-fiction. _Of course it's labeled_, she thought, a smile tugging at the ends of her lips.

"Granger." A silky voice came from behind her, she gasped.

She turned around to see Malfoy's expressionless face staring back at her. His blond hair hung over his eyes sleepily and his gray eyes were like silvery pools, drowning her.

"Did I frighten you?" He asked, his voice was stern and firm.

"Yes." She chuckled, feeling stupid for being afraid, "I thought you were asleep."

"You weren't in your bedroom like you were suppose to be, Hermione." His voice rose with frustration, and with it came a sudden, noticeable slip up. Draco's cheeks blushed red and Hermione watched in awe.

Malfoy **embarrassed?**

"Mudblood." He blurted.

"Well that's a rather big jump don't you think?" She rolled her eyes, "One minute you call me Hermione and then—"

"I meant mudblood, alright?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, then turned around and began exploring the Malfoy's collection of books. She tried to concentrate on finding a good book to read, but as she read the spines of the A-G selection in the non-fiction section, she couldn't help but notice that Malfoy was standing, his feet planted on the ground, like a guard dog or something.

"I'm fine, Malfoy."

Malfoy glared at her, "I'm not protecting you." He spat, "I'm—"

Hermione moved out from between the bookcases and waited for him to make an excuse. Instead of insulting her, he walked threateningly towards her, backing her against the bookshelf, holding her wrists tightly in his hands.

Hermione studied his face. _You're so confusing_, she thought as he leaned down and kissed her. Her head lightly bumped against the bookshelf as he leaned in again and kissed her neck. His soft, but strong lips pressed against her's again as if he was trying to confess everything through physical means.

_You're so lovely_, she thought as he stared back at her. _But, oh so loveless…_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in forever. Anyway…I went on a road trip then, I got a virus but I fixed that myself but I freaked out because I thought I'd lose ALL of everything I've ever written (everything I haven't saved to my F drive) I also got caught with w/ Final Fantasy XII and I'm starting my new fan fiction site called: _Harry Potter Fanzine_. My link is on my profile if you want to check it out. I wanted to make a site where you could put banners of what your story is about, and even thought does that, it takes forever to post a story on there and I wanted to do something to make that less tedious. So yeah, it's not finished because I have a ton of CSS to finish, but it's coming along. Um, you can submit your stories there as well. I do all the graphics. ) Anyway…I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you love this story as much as I love writing it! Wow. (Long author's note!)**

**P.S. Isn't anyone else depressed that Harry Potter is going to end so soon? I am. (Also terribly excited for Deathly Hallows). Oh, and if my story sucks in anyway I would love to hear what I can do to improve, as long as you don't just say "it sucks" add an explanation WHY it sucks. Luckily no one has said that… **_**yet**_** lol. I am not updating until I get at least ten reviews, otherwise I'll just discontinue this story. I need inspiration too!  
**


	7. Chapter VII: Light The Fire

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even **love?

* * *

A Story Of A Girl 

Chapter VII

Light The Fire

* * *

Harry stared down at Ginny and watched her sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling in a rhythm that he had memorized. His fingers lightly brushed her shoulder and she rolled over on her other side. Ever since Hermione had left Harry had been tortured by a guilty conscious. It constantly reminded him that it was not Hermione's fault, but his. 

People always believed he was the good guy, but when he didn't fit that standard, everyone else's standard, he felt like the biggest failure in the world. Whether or not he had defeated Voldemort or that he had saved so many people's lives by doing so, he was still human and humans make mistakes. His biggest mistake of all was walking down that hallway and to Hermione's room. What if he had just fantasized about it instead of making such a rash decision?

…A rash decision that nearly ended his life with Ginny.

* * *

Hermione stared at herself, once again, in the mirror near her bed. The dress she was wearing, a green strapless gown, hugged her body perfectly. It had been the first time she had felt beautiful in a long time. The clock read five minutes to eight. Five minutes until dinner, she thought and turned so she could see what she looked like in back. 

A small smile formed and she teased her hair a bit. The hairstyle she had decided, after fifteen minutes of putting it up, and then letting it down, was finally just her usual look. At least she didn't look like she was trying too hard.

"I look fine." She huffed, "Better get going."

Hermione lifted up her dress a bit so it didn't drag on the floor. Her matching high heels clicking noisily against the marble floors and all the way down to the dining room where Draco was waiting for her.

"She'll be here any minute, Granger." He snapped at her.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"What kept you?" As he looked at her, he smirked.

Granger felt herself blush and she mentally cursed herself for being so obvious, "I had to make sure I looked pureblood enough for your mother, Malfoy."

He continued to smirk at her in that annoying knowing way. Malfoy was smarter than Hermione could have guessed.

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute."

Malfoy hesitated before pulling out a chair for her; the dining table was lit with beautiful candles that were floating mere centimeters off the table. The dishes were beautiful and laced with green paint that outlined the porcelain.

The wine glasses glittered against the candlelight and illuminated Draco's concerned face when the clock struck eight o'clock. His mother was never late. She was the most punctual person he knew.

"Where the hell is she?" He murmured, his voice tense.

"I'm sure she'll be here." Hermione felt awkward, as if she were on death row and her executioner was running late. It was sort of a relief, but then more of a torture.

A small house elf entered the dining room, his large eyes darting from Hermione to Draco. He was clad in only a dirty rag and in his hand he held a letter, with the Malfoy stamp on it.

The elf's grimy hands shook as he began to speak, "Master Malfoy, sir, Mistress has t-told me to give you the news about Master…" Tears dripped from the house elf's eyes, and as he continued, sobbing all the while, Malfoy clenched his fists.

"Spit it out you filthy creature!" Malfoy stood from his chair, nearing knocking it over in the process, "Spit it out!" He took out his wand and pointed at the poor house elf's forehead.

"Stop!" Hermione also stood, "He means no harm, Malfoy."

"I don't care." Malfoy said, but lowered his wand, "What happened, why isn't my mother here?"

"Master-_Master_ has pas-passed away, sir" He bowed and wiped his eyes with his rags, "Mistress is with him, sir."

Hermione watched Draco turn to stone, his expression changing from anger to nothingness in a matter of two seconds. _Lucius is dead?_ She didn't know what to do or say. She didn't know whether Malfoy actually cared for his father or wished him dead. Maybe he was in a state of happy shock, not misery.

But, a smirk didn't spread across his face; instead he dropped his wand and stared at the floor. The loud sobbing of his house elf echoed through the dining room. Hermione expected Malfoy to shout at the house elf to shut the hell up.

Draco stared at the marble floors that glowed slightly from the candlelight, his face reflected back at him, a painful expression he didn't want to see at all. He didn't' want to admit that he had loved his father, no matter what he had done in the past. Not matter what, he was still his father. His arm stung and he felt a sense of relief and sadness flood through him.

He saw Hermione, staring in that annoying sympathetic way that he hated. He hated sympathy especially from her.

* * *

Ginny stared at the front page of the Daily Prophet, not taking her eyes off the picture of the Death Eater. "It says right here mum." Ginny pointed it out for Molly who leaned over and read the first few lines of the article. 

"Finally dropped dead, good riddens." She barked.

Ginny wondered where Hermione was, whether she was with Malfoy. Where they mourning a Death Eater _together_? Where they starting up another Death Eater army? She shook her head. What if Malfoy was turning Hermione into some brainwashed slut? What if he was forcing her to join the Dark Lord's forces, or what were left of them?

Harry grabbed the paper away from her, "He's dead?"

"Yes." Ginny said, annoyed.

None of them new what Malfoy had done for him. They never knew he was the one who helped him in the end. He wouldn't let them know, especially when Hermione was with his savior, the one person who everyone should be praising, instead of him, the one person he wouldn't want Hermione to be with. It wasn't because he had hated Malfoy the first moment he saw him, but the fact that Draco Malfoy deserved to be with Hermione Granger. He was the one who saved the Wizarding world in the end. If not for him, who knows what?

Ginny sighed, "What's taking you _so_ long to read a bloody article?"

* * *

Draco left the room, his hands shaking and his mind racing. What was the last thing he had said to his father? He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember at all. The thought of being in this mansion now revolted him. It was all about the money and the heirs and the fucking Malfoy bloodline. It wasn't about him at all, or his father-but the survival of this stupid family, one that he was beginning, lately, to resent. 

Where was his mother? Mourning over the body of a man who couldn't care less about her as a person, but as a vector to keep what he had let of him alive. Now…he thought of Granger standing in the dining room with that pathetic look on her beautiful face, he couldn't keep any of that alive.

As he locked the library doors behind him, he didn't know if he even wanted to. He took out his wand and pointed it at the shelves, books flew out of their places and ripped them selves apart, paper flew everywhere and scattered the ground like snow. A sharp pain surged through his arm and he seized it with his other arm, as if it helped ease the pain. He fell to his knees, the pain becoming too much for him. The Dark Mark was coursing through him, images of people dying flashed through his brain. His father withering on the floor, breathing shallow breathes, then lying limp.

He choked back tears, "Fuck," He cursed as he seized his arm again, the images pulsing through him once more. He placed his hands on the floor to hold himself up. His blond hair hung over his eyes; sweat trickled down his neck and forehead. The pain pulsed through him again and again, each time he cried out more forcefully until he fell to the ground.

On the floor, he stared at the books that now lay scattered. Paper slowly floated down and landed right beside him. His arm began to burn and the memories from the night he saved Potter now flooded his mind.

_"Potter!" He screamed, his wand felt connected to him, like he knew what he was capable of-this time he didn't have any doubts. Potter was lying on his back, his eyes shut. Draco figured he was dead, but his arm shook like he had suddenly been jolted awake._

_Voldemort stood there, his face gleaming against the smoke and moonlight that consumed the graveyard. All around bodies lay strewn in pieces and some still were moaning from the pain of their slow deaths._

"_Draco, nice to see you again." The Dark Lord moved swiftly towards him, his robes glided as if he were a ghost, not the most powerful Dark wizard of all time._

"_What have you done to my father?"_

"_Lucius? Ah yes, __**Lucius**__." Voldemort had his wand firmly grasped, "I gave him a choice, Draco."_

"_A choice?"_

Voldemort smirked, "You remind me a lot of myself, Draco."

"_I'm nothing like you __**or**__ my father." Draco shouted, "What choice!" He demanded, he ignored the intense fear he felt._

_"To live or die." Voldemort smirked again, "What a simple choice. He chose to live, even if the cost was his only son."_

_Draco felt his heart jump in his chest, his stomach dropped. His father had given his son away to the Dark Lord? He had already been forced to become a Death Eater, the Dark Mark soul proof of that._

"_But." Voldemort held up one of his long, skinny fingers, "What is your choice, Draco?" He chuckled._

_Draco held up his wand, even before He had a chance to fight back and uttered the spell, "Avada Kedavra!" _

_Green light shot from his wand and pierced the Dark Lord's chest firmly. With one moment of luck, Voldemort had fallen. He had saved the Wizarding world, not Harry Potter who lay near death near a small tombstone. But this wasn't his place, Azkaban was his place, and if he didn't leave now the Order would find him sooner or later._

_They found Potter, half dead and presumed him the savior of the Wizarding world, not like they hadn't already, but now it was official._

He closed his eyes tightly. His arm was shaking, but the pain subsided. That's why he was never caught, that's why he never went to Azkaban like his father. But, even though his father had selfishly chosen to save himself, somewhere Draco believed his father did that for a reason-for Draco to live. For some reason, he knew Lucius had outwitted the Dark Lord and had saved what he treasured the most-the Malfoy bloodline. But Draco truly believed that his father knew he his son could save himself as well. The tears blurred his vision, but he forced himself not to let them go.

Hermione ran after him and grabbed the handles of the library doors and shook them. "Locked, damn him!" She took out her wand and forced them open. They flung open and where books lay in shreds and papers littered everywhere, lay Draco, motionless, lying on the floor.

"Draco!" She cried out and kneeled before him, "Draco!" She shook him. Hermione took off her high heels and threw them to the side, "Are you alright?" She helped him up.

He buried his face in his hands; trying to hide everything from her, "Go away!" He shouted forcefully, "Get out of my house!" His voice grew louder and he pushed her arm away when she tried to help him up.

"Draco-" She persisted.

"Don't talk to me as if I'm your friend."

_But I am_, she thought, _more than that…much more than that. _

Draco removed his hands from his face and stared into her eyes. His jacket hung off his shoulders and his button up shirt was wrinkled and the top two buttons were unbuttoned. He placed his hands on her cheeks and then ran them through his hair. Draco pulled her close, just enough to kiss her, just enough so his nose was touching hers, but he didn't kiss her. Instead, he grabbed her hair roughly-he needed something, _anything_ to rip and tear apart.

"I hate you." He whispered harshly, "I hate you so fucking much, Hermione."

Hermione closed her eyes, allowing tears to spill out of her eyes. He kissed her eyelids softly, but avoided her lips. Hermione's heart had caved in and had broken into a thousand pieces. What had happened to her life? One minute she was fine, the next her life was tumbling down so fast she couldn't even take a breath long enough to notice how far she had wandered off her original path.

Draco finally pressed his lips against hers. Both their eyes were opened and he stared deeply into her warm, brown eyes. When she stared back, she swore that _somewhere _she did not see _any _hate at all.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about another long update! I got sick the other day and then I went to the beach with my best friend Kate and my sister. Also I finished like all of my site (****I'm going to get my own domain soon enough). I'm also thinking of starting another fanfic so I can keep myself busy. Um, I probably won't update for a while because I'm of course going to the midnight party at B&N and then I'm flying down to Arizona to visit my rich grandparents so they can take me shopping (and buy me video games)! Woohoo! If I don't get at least ten reviews I _won't_ be updating. Last time I only got five which was a major bummer for me, because writing this is much **_**much**_** harder than it looks!**

**Thanks though, **

**Lyn **

_**P.S. To those who review, you guys rock hardcore! **_

r0manticr0se--- .Smart.Ass.Punk.--- forkslover1--- DaOnLeeSam--- Blue-blood Princess--- Charlie Bucket---Gryffindor Princess-- elijahsbaby1981--- Jolie Ralph Lauren---steph.

If I didn't include you, then I will the next chapter, but I thank **all** of YOU!! You rock meh sox!


	8. ChapterVIII:Be Careful What You Wish For

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story Of A Girl**  
Chapter VIII_  
Be Careful What You Wish For…_

* * *

**H**ermione ran her hand over Draco's arm, her eyes darted at the tattoo burning on his arm, _The Dark Mark._

Draco's eyes shot open when she touched his arm there, "Granger." He breathed.

"You-you were a _Death Eater_, Malfoy?" Hermione had now moved inches apart from him. She thought that if that were true, she wouldn't care, but she thought of the day when Harry was nearly killed trying to save the Wizarding world. And, she thought about when she did not know if he'd even make it.

Malfoy looked down. He couldn't say anything, the Dark Mark proved that he wasn't anything but a killer…in Hermione's eyes that is. He knew, no matter what he would say, she wouldn't believe Draco Malfoy-the son of a Death Eater, _a Malfoy._ **So much** for Gryffindor empathy…

"I was, Granger. _Was_." Draco said forcefully, "I'm not anymore, I-I really never was Granger, so why don't you just stop staring at me like-like _that_."

Hermione's eyes didn't soften at those words, but her gaze froze on the Dark Mark on the man Hermione thought…stupidly thought…had changed.

"You shouldn't be condemning me, you should be thanking me." Draco spat and stood up from the ground.

Hermione followed suite, "Thanking you?"

Draco shook his head and felt the pain in his arm slowly subside, "Yes." He hissed, "_Thank __**me**_."

"For what?" She yelled, "For joining forces with Vol-Voldemort and making things worse for Harry, who by the way is the person _I_ should be thanking, not _you_."

"Potter?" He scoffed and turned to look at her, "Go back to him then. Maybe he'll pay you or even let you stay, but only if you be his slut when his _fiancé_ is out."

Hermione glared at him, "Malfoy, you have no right to call me a slut!"

"Well, it seems I do. Sleeping with a married man, or wait-_engaged man_-my mistake, and then crawling back to me so you can actually get a **good** fuck, which I don't really blame you for."

"I _**did not**_ sleep with him!" She shouted.

Hermione raised her fist and jammed it right into his right cheek, "You're such a _prick_!" Tears streamed down her face. Her knuckles hurt and her heart hurt and her head hurt. Her whole body ached. In every way possible, whether it is hate or love or whatever the fuck this stupid feeling was, she felt it and she felt it for him -the man standing in front of her, clutching his cheek and staring at down at her. It's indescribable, really, to be standing on that fine line between love and hate and not knowing, or wanting to turn either way, but just waiting until something pushes you towards one or the other.

She cried and started off down the hallway and up the stairs, her green gown flowing behind her.

Draco watched, silently wishing he could be chasing after her, pinning her down and ravishing her. Her supple breasts, her curly brown hair, and the sound of her soft heart beat whenever he rests his head on her chest. He stood, letting his arm fall to his side and stared at the empty hallway; also wishing he hadn't even been here at all.

* * *

"The wedding." Ginny had a pile of books already set on the table, "We need to plan it." 

Harry grabbed one of the wedding books and flipped through it. Witches had the most extravagant weddings, he was glad he wouldn't be paying for it.

"Why can't we take money out of your bank account, at Gringotts?" She whined.

Harry sighed, "For a wedding? Why can't we just figure something out, have Molly-"

"My _mum_ is not planning this wedding, Harry." She hissed, "I am. We are. So help me."

"Isn't it tradition for the bride's family to pay anyway?"

"What? _Who cares_ about tradition?" Ginny crossed her arms, "For once, Harry, could I please have something nice, for **me**?"

Harry guessed Ginny was right, she had been living at the Burrow long enough to know what not getting what you want felt like. Considering, her parents, Arthur and Molly, weren't always stable in the money department.

"I want to move out, Harry. I don't want to live here anymore, I-I want my own house. _Our_ own house."

"But it's fine here." Harry said. He knew the only reason they hadn't moved out, thus far, was because of her-Hermione Granger. What if they moved far away and she wouldn't be able to find him? _What if? What if? _ That's all he centered his life around then, thinking that maybe one day he'd see her again, and when he finally did, things happened. And now, it was done. Now he could start his new life with Ginny, _finally_. No matter if he had doubts or not.

Everyone has doubts about marriage..._right?_

* * *

Hermione lay on her bed, tears still streaming down her face. She hadn't even been here for more than two days and she wanted to leave. She couldn't go to Harry or Ginny…but there was still Ron. 

_Ronald?_ She nearly laughed at the thought. Through her tears, she yet again saw her reflection and this time she didn't think she was beautiful, not at all. It's strange, how much can change in only a few hours, or minutes or even seconds. What is that? What is that thing that makes life spin out of control? If she found the answer or even a cure for it, she was sure she could get the hell away from everything.

A part of her wished that Malfoy would've chased after her, but he didn't. _Would_ she want him to? _Would_ she want him to come here, kiss her, fuck her, rip her apart for the sake of everything? Not really. She didn't need him, of **course **not. She just needed a place to stay, it's not like she needed _him._ That's a laugh. No way did she need Draco Malfoy.

_No. Way._

* * *

Draco felt his arm burn again. Stupid woman. He did not give a damn about Death Eaters… _that _was all over now. Why did she throw everything in his face, as if she has not done anything wrong in her life? Sympathy got you _nowhere_, that's why he now knew why he hated Gryffindor and loyalty and that happy sunshine land attitude that they always had. Life wasn't like that, but Her_-Granger_, obviously can't see that. 

_**Let her cry, it'll do her some good.**_

He was now sitting at the table, with his arms crossed. Where could she go anyway? Nowhere. If it hadn't been for him, she would probably living in Weasley's apartment, where he would feel her up whenever he got the chance.

An image flashed through his mind, Weasley's hands on her thighs, touching, caressing. The thought, preposterous! Twisted…disgusting.

But a smirk spread across his face, for it was unavoidable, when he thought of that Weasel's inexperienced hands on her body, while she secretly wished they were his, Draco Malfoy's. Ha, of course she hadn't forgotten that time, on the couch, fucking. No, since most people never forget the very best moments in life, especially when it topped the list.

"Pathetic." He scoffed and blew out the candles before he left.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, okay, I know-VERY short chapter. But I just finished it and it's 2:30 am and I'm exhausted. I finished Deathly Hallows the day it came out I read _all day_. Some guy also bitched me out since I cut in line to get the book lol, but I ended up getting one of the first copies! So it was worth almost getting pummeled! I'm a Slytherin, what can I say? I'm cunning. Wow. I'm a nerd, anyway... I'm writing a next generation fic w/ Kate for The Re-Writers **–Spoiler- **_Scorpius/Rose So be on the look out for that as well. I will update this too so don't worry! _ **I need TEN reviews or NO next chapter!! I AM review GREEDY! So no reviews, ****NO NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**P.S. I absolutely LOVED Deathly Hallows! It's my fav book by far. ****  
**


	9. Chapter IX: Clean Up Your Own Mess

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter IX

_Clean Up Your __**Own **__Mess_

* * *

Hermione sobbed into her pillow until she had to gasp for air and there was a stain where her tears had soaked into the pillowcase. Draco Malfoy is-she couldn't think of anything to describe what she felt about him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she knew nothing about him. 

If she did know him even the slightest, she would've known he was a-a Death Eater.

"I'm so stupid!"

_Yes you are Hermione Granger. You are incredibly stupid. He's tricked you into believing he was something more than a follower of evil._

Why wasn't his mother home to grieve with her son? Why was everything in this house-in this **family** so impersonal? Why weren't they taking the time to be together at all…especially in a time of such need?

Hermione punched her pillow and smashed her face into it and screamed as loud as she could, thank god her scream had been muffled or else she would've woken up the entire city. Hermione let out a sigh, a sigh that meant more than frustration, but anger and love and hate and everything mixed into one. That was what she felt right now; _**everything**_ and she just couldn't unscramble it.

Her muscles ached and as she relaxed into the mattress, they ached even more. "I hate my life." She sobbed quietly, "I just want to go home."

But where was home? Gone by now.

Hermione rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes, "Why do I love him anyway?"

Her eyes shot open and she saw her reflection once again, and a shocked, blushing brunette stared back at her, "I-I don't love him!" She squeaked.

_It was just a slip, a meaningless slip. _

* * *

_My son,_

_I'm still staying at the hospital. I can't leave until I figure out the funeral arrangements._

"She didn't even sign it, that-that old hag." Draco said crumpling up the paper and throwing across his room where he sat brooding, lounging at the chair near his bed. The paper landed softly, hardly making a noise when it hit the shiny wooden floors.

The house elf that had delivered it stood at the door, waiting for further instructions, his big eyes still stinging with tears.

"Get OUT!" Draco yelled his eyes still focused on the ball of paper on the floor.

The house elf whimpered and jumped when Hermione appeared from behind him, "Draco stop yelling at him!"

Draco ignored her.

"Stop hurting yourself!" Hermione grabbed the house elf's arm to stop him from hitting his head.

Draco glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and for a second he thought of her, naked, under him, but he quickly blocked it out of his mind. Granger was yet again that disgusting mudblood who couldn't look past anything. Stupid women. They don't know anything at all. When you try to be sensitive and nice all they do is hate it.

_No wonder I've been a bloody arse all these years! _

Draco turned and glared at the two of them, "I said GET OUT!" He screamed and pointed an angry finger towards the empty hallway from behind them.

Hermione, who had expected this outburst, didn't flinch, but the house elf cowered in fear of him. "I must l-l-listen to m-mater Draco!"

Hermione walked into the room and in front of Draco, who was now slouching in his chair, rubbing his temples. He knew she'd do this! Try and be the nice one now, be understanding. Well too late! This wasn't the damn time for apologizes.

"You don't have to be a bastard Draco! You can look me in the eye!"

Draco continued to ignore her.

Hermione grabbed his arm and yanked it away from his face; "Look at me when I talk to you!" She screamed, but he stood up and yanked his arm away from his grip so quickly she didn't have time to process the move.

He took a step towards her, "Who do you think you are?!" HE shouted in her face.

She jumped and closed her eyes. She had never felt so fearful of him than she did now. His eyes looked murderous and full of rage.

"Huh?!" He shouted and she jumped, "Oh, you're scared now are you? You fucking mudblood!"

With each word Hermione felt as if someone was tearing at her stomach and her heart all at the same time…_twisting, stabbing, and pulling._

Draco stared at her, his eyes focused on her amber eyes that were glistening with tears. But, he didn't care. Why couldn't she just forget all about that stupid war and that stupid evil versus good crap and forget about Harry Potter that stupid, fucking fake! Would someone only love you if you were this saint figure and you never made a mistake or take a wrong turn? Wasn't love about accepting another person's imperfections?

Or…wasn't it about lying? Or sleeping behind your fiance's back? Was that what love was about? If it was…all those books and songs about love were wrong.

Hermione's lip quivered as she tried her hardest not to cry, "You couldn't care less if you hurt people Draco!"

"What are you talking about Hermione?" When he yelled at her, he didn't even care if he used her first name.

She looked at him, shocked, but continued on, "Your mother is still at the hospital, waiting by herself, why aren't you with her?"

"Shut up! That's none of you fucking business!" He clenched his fist, "You're too nosy Granger."

"Why don't you give a shit about anyone else but yourself? Why were you a Death Eater? **Why **were you supporting killing others? _Why _aren't you with your mother? Why don't you laugh? **Why** don't you care about me?"

Draco grabbed her wrist so hard she felt it would never snap in half, "It's none of your BUSiNESS WHAT I DO or who I **care** for!"

He shoved her back against the wall and continued to stare through her, "Get out of my house." He said, his voice low and harsh, "Leave. _NOW_." He looked over at the house elf who was still cowering in fear of him, "**Now**, Granger."

Hermione felt the air go stale and empty, as well as her heart as she walked past him and out the door.

* * *

_Mother,_

_The house is still the same as you left it. I'll be waiting._

_Sincerely,_

_Draco_

* * *

Outside the weather was cloudy, the air felt humid and it smelled of air. Hermione looked up at the sky, her small suitcase rolling behind her. She had no idea where she would be staying now. It was all her fault. Draco said it before that it had been her fault and now she realized she had to do something about this mess. 

Before she knew it, she was standing at the front door of the Burrow, her hand shaking nervously as she knocked on the front door. Where else would she go? She couldn't stay another night with that man.

She heard Harry's voice, "I'll get it Gin!"

The door creaked open and Harry's face dropped when he saw her standing here, her suitcase in one hand and her wand in the other.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, "What're you doing here?" He stepped out and closed the door behind him, "I told you to leave."

Hermione searched his face for some kind of empathy, but couldn't find any at all, just pure annoyance, "Malfoy kicked me out-"

Harry's eyes softened when he saw a tear slid down her cheek and when she hiccupped as the tears started pouring down her face, "I-I don't have anywhere else to go, please _you're_ all I have left."

Harry placed his arms around her and held her while she cried, "Hermione, you need to clean up your own messes," He petted her hair softly and he smelled like cologne, "I can't always be there to catch you when you fall, I have Ginny now…I have to worry about her."

Hermione felt herself stiffen in his arms, why was he being so cold to her?

"I-But-You're my friend."

Harry didn't say anything back and released the hug, "I-I don't know…"

"We can't be friends?"

Harry took another step back, "I have to work it out with Ginny-I-I just don't know what to tell you Hermione, I wanna be friends, but it's just too hard."

"Who is it Harry?" A male voice she recognized instantly called out and a redhead swung the door open.

"Hermione!" Ron said cheerily and ran up and hugged her, "I haven't seen you since Gin's party thing."

"Engagement party," Harry corrected him.

"Yeah whatever mate." Ron smiled at Hermione, oblivious to the awkwardness that surrounded her and Harry.

"Ginny! Hermione's here!"

"Ron!" Harry hissed.

"_What?"_ Ron asked, baffled.

Ginny strode outside and stopped when she saw Hermione standing there, "What are you doing her, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at her ex-friend, "I'm-I was just-"

Ron put his arm around her shoulders, "She came to see **me**."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay I know everyone hates me since I haven't update in like a week or something. But I was on vacation and my plane got delayed && I was stuck in an airport for 8 hours that day I was suppose to come home but I had to go back to the place I was staying, spend the night until I could catch a plane for the next day. I would've updated earlier if this didn't have to happen. 

So yeah, I'm sorry this took forever! I'll update ASAP! Once again I need at least **10 reviews**! Thank you so much for reading this!

Peace,

Lyn

_P.S. More** is **coming! _


	10. Chapter X: I See Your Empty Room

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

_A Story Of A Girl_

Chapter X

**I See Your Empty Room**

* * *

Draco paced the hallway near the guest room where Hermione had stayed, "Where the hell is she?"

He had expected her to come back, even though his words only forced her out of Malfoy Manor. Draco thought she'd come back, maybe in the middle of the night or...

Draco stood there, his knuckles a breath away from the wooden door, and he felt for a second something he hated to feel...hope. Hope that maybe she _had _come back.

He knocked on more time and then opened the door forcefully, "Granger?" He started her name with a yell, but ended it softly, disappointment strung through it. Where had she gone? Back to Potter? Back to that filthy-

Wait.

_Why _did he care?

She is a mudblood anyway; she'll be fine staying with those filthy-_but_ what if something happens to her? He banged his fist against the wall and sat down on the bed, making the springs creak loudly, "That bitch. She actually left. Now what will I tell my mother?"

But that wasn't the reason. Draco couldn't care less about that right now. The money, he realized meant nothing to him, as much as he fought that fact…he knew it meant absolutely nothing.

He lifted his head up and stared into the mirror, the same mirror Hermione had seen herself in, the same mirror that she had accidentally confessed her love for him.

He felt his face contort with anger and sadness. Draco lowered his head into his hands and cursed everything and anyone he could think of, "That fucking son-of-a bitch Potter and Weaslette and Weasley and-"

But before he could continue his rant, his house elf appeared before him with a _crack._

"Master-sir…mistress _has arrived_…"

* * *

"So, Hermione." Ron had brought her upstairs to the same room where her and Harry had kissed. She sat on the bed, while he straddled the old desk chair in front of it. 

"What have you been up to?"

Hermione ignored him. All she kept thinking about was that night and the look on Ginny's face when she saw Ron put his arm around her shoulder.

"Hermione, hello? Are you alive?"

"What? Yeah, not much. I haven't been up to much."

"Why is everyone acting so weird?' Ron said, hurt that Hermione hadn't been paying attention to him, "I mean first Harry, and then Ginny…and you also have been acting quite weird as well."

"Really? No-no one is acting weird, of course not."

Ron raised an eyebrow at her, "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

How could she tell him the truth? She kissed Harry, nearly broke up their marriage, lost her job, slept with Draco…etc. etc. the list goes on. She had gone from good girl to bad girl in such a short time; it was hard to take in all of it so quickly.

"I heard your apartment needed some renovations? Am I right?"

Hermione felt her stomach drop, "No, I'm actually looking for a new one."

"Wow, you're moving up right?" Ron gave her thumbs up, "Hermione Granger, you're going above and beyond all those high expectations everyone had about you. We knew you'd do it."

Hermione felt herself tense up. But, if you only knew…she thought to herself. But, even if Ron had just completely crushed her emotionally with just one sentence, she felt more at ease with him than anyone so far. Which didn't say a lot about everyone else.

"But, how about you Ronald. You're a professional Quidditch team captain."

"Right I am!" Ron smiled wide, "Malfoy is on the team though." He sulked.

"I know, I heard." Hermione chuckled to herself, she's more than _heard_ about him. Suddenly her situation had gone so far past the point as bad that it was strangely humorous.

"Where you staying? Here, right?"

Hermione shook her head no. "I've sort've out stayed my welcome here."

"Really?" Ron said, "Well you could always stay with me."

Hermione felt herself nearly burst out laughing, "It's okay Ronald, I'm sure I can manage."

"Of course you can."

She knew he was pouting, "You're Miss _Rich and Perfect_ now right?"

"No I am not." She said, the first truthful thing that has come out of her mouth in awhile.

"Well what about you and Malfoy? Shouldn't he be helping you?"

Hermione lowered her head so she didn't have to look him in the eyes, "No, I decided it would be better if I didn't live with him yet."

"Oh," She could hear an ounce of happiness in his voice.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled, "I am really sorry about what happened at the engagement party."

Ron didn't even take a second to respond, "No problem." He smiled wider when she smiled back at him. Hermione had to admit it was nice seeing him again, and talking to him like she did during their school years together.

"So, you really don't have anywhere to stay do you?" Ron tried once more.

Hermione looked at him through her eyelashes and chuckled at the cute look on his face, "I'll consider it, Ronald."

* * *

"Mistress." The Malfoy's house elf took Draco's mother's coat and hung it promptly on the coat hanger near the door, "Master Malfoy is waiting in the den." 

Draco twiddled his thumbs and instantly got to his feet when his mother entered the room, "Mother."

"Draco, sit down." She ordered and he did right away. Her long, blond hair matched the color of his, and her eyes did as well. She held a small handbag made from the most well-renowned wizard designers. Custom made for Narcissa Malfoy.

"Your father," She started, "Has past as you already know and now it is time for you to introduce me to this woman you have met."

Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "She'll be back any day now, I'm certain."

_Granger_, he cursed her mentally, _you should be here like you promised. You owe me big time now_.

"Draco?" Narcissa leaned forward, curious to why her son is acting so strangely, "Where is she, on holiday?"

_Yes, on holiday… in Potter's pants. _

"Yes, holiday." He said.

"_Holiday my arse_," He muttered underneath his breath.

"What did you say?" His mother asked.

"Nothing mother, I didn't say anything at all…" Draco smirked.

Narcissa gave him one final questioning look before she left the room, on her way out she called after him over her shoulder, "I'll be staying her until she arrives Draco! Prepare my room!"

"Prepare your room?" Draco spat, "Granger you better come crawling back here soon or I might just have to come crawling back to you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** It is short and I'm sorry, but I've been going through some rough patches with some of my ex-friends and it's been rather annoying this past week. _But _I'm back and I'll update tomorrow I promise! I have some plot twists up my sleeves and a longer chapter is definitely on it's way! So hang in there and I'm thankful to everyone who has reviewed! Thank you soooo sooo sooo much! ) 

-Once again, I would like a good amount of reviews! That would make me update sooner rather than later, because it inspires the hell outta me! You have no idea how much I adore feedback and just the fact that people are reading my story and seeing what I can do! Thank you!

Lyn+


	11. Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

I got really sick from the stomach flu and had to go to the hospital and get checked up because I was afraid of relapsing from when I had acute kidney failure two years ago. So I won't be updating until I fully recover. It'll probably be in only a couple of days since I already feel better, but I am not up to writing right now. I have to drink a ton of liquids and I had to get an IV since I was so dehydrated (but I did have an uber cute doctor).

I was really hoping to add a long chapter, but things happen and that's life lol. My internet also didn't work and I'm working on updating my new computer and dealing with some other issues. So, with that said, thank you to all who have reviewed for my story and I hope I'll be able to update sooner than expected. I just wanted to let you know what's up since I did promise a chapter. I promise I'm not procrastinating! Anyway I have good ideas for upcoming chapters so I hope you'll keep reading!

Thanks again,  
Lyn


	12. Chapter XI: What We Create

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter XI

_What We Create_

_  
"Should've done something but I've done it enough by the way your hands were shaking rather waste some time with you... "_

_-The Used Blue and Yellow _

* * *

Hermione looked around Ron's old room, expecting it to have posters of The Chudley Cannons covering the walls, but instead, when she walked in, the walls were blank. His room did not look like it used to Now, when she turned around, she didn't see the extra bed Harry used to sleep on when he spent the summers here and she couldn't see the stack of books she usually kept in the corner, or the place where Crookshanks used to sleep. 

"This has changed." She breathed out, she didn't even know if Ron could tell how awfully nostalgic she felt right now.

Ron walked in after her, closing the door behind him, "Yeah, I threw a lot of stuff out and cleaned it up a bit, it doesn't even look the same." Though Ron was smiling, she knew he also felt the same feelings she did, or she thought, maybe he didn't. Maybe he didn't care that this room felt reminiscent to her life. Empty, bare, and nothing like it used to be.

Hermione Granger thought maybe this room would bring her back to when everything was better between them, but obviously, that was already gone.

----------------------------

"I can't believe I'm actually going to do this." Draco gritted his teeth as he put his winter coat on even though there was no snow on the ground yet, "Fuckin hell," He spat, and thought right now he sounded like a teenager the way he was cursing. The cold late September air brushed against his cheeks when he trudged outside, "Stupid wind, stupid Granger, stupid-"

_Crack_

Draco flinched, surprised at the familiar noise - he hadn't expected anyone to be coming to his house _this_ late at night.

"Oh, I see you have _finally_ come crawling back to _me_, you-"

But before he could insult her, Hermione, tears streaming down her face, ran up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The kiss, so full of passion, caused Draco to nearly fall over. He could barely breath while kissing her since he still hadn't caught his breath from being nearly frightened to death at her sudden unexpected appearance. He almost felt like he was drowning, but drowning in the best of ways of course.

The kiss lingered on, the cold air stung against Hermione's tear-soaked cheeks, and before she wanted to let go, Draco reached behind and released the grip she had around his neck. There faces were still close, and Draco's hands on hers reminded her of their first time together.

"What are you doing here?" He breathed in deeply and his grip on her hands got stronger.

Her whole body shook as more tears streamed down her face, "I don't even know myself," She cried, "What am I _doing_?"

"What am I doing?" She asked herself again as she continued to cry.

"_What am I doing_..."

"Hermione?" Draco raised his voice, "Stop!"

Hermione lifted her head, "I'm sorry-"

"Where did you go?" He grasped her shoulders and shook her, "I was about to go crawling back to you, do you know how pathetic I look right now?"

Hermione's tears stopped and she smiled when she saw the coat he was wearing and the worried look on his face, "You _do_ look pathetic." No matter what she thought about Draco in the past, now she felt like he was the one person she really wanted to see. Ron had understood that she wanted to leave, but she wondered if he really would've understood if he knew where she was leaving to.

------------------

"Why was she here?" Ginny yelled as Harry entered the bedroom, while Ron was still upstairs.

"She was seeing Ron!" Harry yelled back as he threw his jacket onto the bed.

"Do you honestly believe I'm that stupid Harry?" Ginny sat down on the bed, "You love her, don't you? You still love..." She trailed off too angry to rant any farther, "I can't believe you."

Harry stared at her, he couldn't think of what to say to his fiance. What could he say really? That he was in love with her one time best friend and it was going to take a lot for him to forget the one girl he had fallen in love with? No, of course he couldn't say that because _that girl _didn't love him back and to tell you the truth, Ginny was his only way out of this _stupid obsession _with Hermione Granger. He would marry Ginny and slowly that obsession would fade away.

But as he slowly walked over to comfort Ginny, he secretly wondered..._what if it didn't?_

-------------

"You almost backed out." Draco said as soon as he had led her inside.

"Backed out?"

"Yes." Draco said swiftly, "We have a deal."

"Oh right, the one where I'm supposed to pretend to be your fiance." She nodded and made a face, "About that."

Draco shot her a disapproving look.

"Doesn't your mother know that I'm-"

Draco shook his head, "Of course not, you idiot."

"Are you sure?"

Draco smirked, "Positive."

ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo

"Draco, Draco!" Narcissa called from across the hall where Draco was standing, leaning against his bedroom door, waiting for her to wake up in her usual manner.

He pushed himself off, "Yes mother?" He smiled and grabbed her hand, "What is it?"

Hermione opened her door a crack and stuck her tongue out in disgust at the sight of Draco sucking up to his mum. She opened her door just a bit more so only her head was sticking out, "Damn I can't see them anymore."

They had started to descend the stairs towards the lobby leading towards the library and the kitchen. The stood near the bottom of the stairs, when Narcissa began to speak.

"Has she arrived yet? I heard quite a racket last night, I thought your house elf, Alfy or Alfred or whatever you call him was at fault."

"No, I was just-" Draco looked up to see Granger peeking her head where the banister began and the hallway ended, "Um, cleaning up."

"Cleaning-what _are_ you looking at?" Narcissa turned around and Hermione gasped and quickly moved out of sight.

"There was a bird." Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"A bird?" Narcissa chortled, "A bird? Since when did you have a bird flying around the house?"

"I meant an owl, my owl mum."

"But didn't he die?"

Draco made exasperated face behind his mother's back and mouthed a curse word in her general direction as well, "No, _he didn't die_."

"Well I remember you crying over-" Narcissa turned back around to face him.

"Mother!"

"To answer your question, Mother, she'll be arriving soon."

Hermione's eyes widened, _I'm actually going to do this?_

"She'll need to got back to the guest room." Draco said, trying his best to get Hermione's attention to go back to her room.

"What?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow at him, "There is no way your fiance is going to sleep in that dingy room."

"Of course not," Draco said leading her off towards the kitchen for breakfast.

"You are not making any sense today Draco," Narcissa said and that was the last Hermione could hear of the conversation before taking Draco's advice and returning to her room.

_---------------------_

"I didn't know you were such a bad liar." Hermione said when he entered her room, clad in only his boxers and a towel wrapped around his neck. His hair was damp and she figured he had just gotten out of the shower.

"_I_ didn't know you were so stupid." Draco smirked, "My mother is expecting you around seven."

"Have you told her who I am?" Hermione asked, knowing the answer.

"No."

"No?" Hermione sighed, why was she agreeing to this? Maybe because this wasn't the most simple days of her life and because she was sort've digging the fact that Draco Malfoy was half naked in her room.

_Digging the fact that Malfoy is half-naked in my room? Where the hell did that come from?_

"You know, some people actually are a bit more, what's the word, less revealing in front of people." Hermione pointed at his boxers.

"Less revealing? What are you my mother?"

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest, "Whatever."

"Look what you're wearing."

"I'm wearing a sweater and some jeans. You're saying that this is revealing?"

"I'm saying you need to wear a dress."

Hermione watched as he took another gown from the closet, "Wear this one."

It was red, and definetely something you wouldn't be wearing when meeting your "fiance's" mother. Hermione grabbed it from him and held it up to herself. It looked like it went a little past her knees and was a bit low cut for her taste, "Why this one?"

"You'll see."

Hermione started to lift up her sweater over her head, expecting him to leave the room while she did so, it was sort've like a hint to let him know she was beginning to change, but he stood there, watching her intently and he didn't even look away.

"Could you leave?" Hermione said, with the sweater halfway off of her head.

"To be honest with you, Granger..." Draco began.

"**Please** don't remind me, I know you've seen _everything_ under my clothes alright?"

"That wasn't what I was going to say."

"Right," Hermione threw her sweater on the bed, "Hand me the dress." What was the point of pushing him out of the room anyway, he had a point, well she did anyway, he had seen_ everything_, I mean _everything_.

Draco sat down on the bed and handed her the dress and watched as she slowly removed her t-shirt. He watched as she lifted the shirt above her head and as she did, bit by bit her curved back began to show itself, the dip that stopped near the waistband of jeans and the curves of her hourglass figure. The clasps of her bra were dieing to be unhooked and he nearly jumped off the bed to unhook them himself. But, carefully with her delicate fingers, she slowly unclasped it. It fell to the floor, so perfectly so gently and he watched as she began to slid out of her jeans.

He gulped, _damn. _This was the best porn he's ever watched, by far.

_What? No_.

She wore cute underwear, not a thong or something skimpy but just cute underwear with pink hearts that trimmed the edges. He was used to the hot pink thong type of girls or the see through lace kind of gal-not the cute kind.

Draco, without any self-control and completely out of his will, stood up and walked over to her. He wanted to touch her so badly, her skin glowed like glaze on a freshly baked croissant straight out of the oven, and his mouth was watering at the sight of it. He hadn't touched her in what felt like so long, that the feeling of obsession washed over him again.

He was inches away from her, but he didn't think she noticed he was right behind her. So, with a steady hand he reached out and stroked her on the arch of her back and felt her muscles tense when he did it. He knew she couldn't turn around or else she'd be exposing herself to him, again.

She was trapped.

"Malfoy." She breathed, "I have to get dressed."

Draco leaned in closer so his bare chest was pressed up against her back, he ignored her. Her curly hair was all pushed to one side like those women in those Muggle paintings he had seen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Hermione closed her eyes and felt the fast rhythm of his heart and the quickening of hers, "I need to get dressed, Malfoy." She repeated.

"Shut up." Draco said and spun her around, "Can't you see I'm trying to be, what's the word..."

"Perverted?"

Draco looked down at her and tipped her chin up, "No...that's not it."

Hermione didn't care anymore if he saw her chest, or if he was leaning in to kiss her or if he was kissing her and it felt amazing and just like a kiss should feel. She didn't care that Draco Malfoy was reaching his hand to touch her where she did need to be touched or if he wasn't being forceful or cruel anymore. She didn't care that all her friends hated her or that she was falling madly, insanely in love with a Malfoy.

"You know," Draco smirked, "You aren't so bad after all." His eyes were glazed over with lust, but they quickly went back to normal once she blushed and turned away.

"Isn't your mother waiting?"

"No."

"Yes she is."

"So what?"

"So what? She's expecting us, that's what."

Hermione was trying to zip up the dress, when Draco finally sighed and did it for her, "You are stupid."

"I thought I wasn't so bad _after all_. I guess you just throw everything you say around."

"I guess I do." Draco retorted.

"Whatever, let's just go. Do I look presentable? Why am I even asking you that anyway?"

Draco made no comment and put his arm on her back and led her out the door.

They walked down the stairs, where Narcissa was waiting, her back towards them, tapping her shoe against the marble floors, "Draco what-"

"Mother, this is my fiance."

"Your fiance is _Hermione Granger_!?"

-------------------

**Author's Note:** Tehe. xxDraco is teh sexyxx!

I thought it'd be funny if I ended this chapter the same as the first one. But it took me awhile to write this because it's like 2 in morning and there was a big bug in my room that looked like a mousiqto on steriods. So I screamed really loud and ran out of my room a couple of times. But I wanted to finish the chapter, so you should thank me because I nearly risked my life to write this bloody chapter. I really appreciated all the get-well reviews: ) Thank you! Thank you! I'm much much better now! I'll update as soon as possible but I have a BIRTHDAY PARTA! to go to tomorrow but it will be soon: ) Give me tons and tons and TONS of reviews: ) Oh, but I have GOOD ideas for the next chapter of this story so WATCH OUT! It'll be coming atcha soon! w00t! Trust me I do know where this is going.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

mwua! love...

xx teh Lyn xx


	13. Chapter XII: Circles

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter XI

_Circles_

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_It's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_No one ever said it would be this hard._

_Oh take me back to the start._

* * *

_**T**hey walked down the stairs,_ where Narcissa was waiting, her back towards them, tapping her shoe against the marble floors, "Draco what-"

"Mother, this is my fiance."

"Your fiance is Hermione Granger!?"

Draco grabbed her hand and Hermione gasped. She was trying not to look Narcissa in the eye, because if she did, she was afraid that Narciss would figure out that this was all a lie.

"You're joking, right?" Narcissa put her hand up to her chest and let out an unsettling laugh, "That _mudblood_."

Draco nodded, "Yes, this is my fiance."

Hermione stood there awkwardly and smiled at his mom, no matter how stupid this sounded, she wanted to please his mother. She was just pretending, but she did feel the need to at least make a good impression. So far, though, it seemed there wasn't room for that now.

Narcissa walked up to her, and with a smack she slapped Hermione so hard on her cheek that her head jerked to the right, "Get out!"

Hermione clutched her cheek, her eyes began to sting with tears. She looked down and before she even move, she felt Draco jerk her back beside him.

"Mother, even if you can't accept it. I'm marrying her."

Narcissa glared at Hermione, "You are not marrying her!"

"It's _my life _mother!"

Whatever Draco was doing, he was doing it very well, whether he was acting or...really meaning what he said, he was doing a pretty damn good job at it. Hermione waited for Narcissa to say something back, but instead she buttoned up the last buttons of her jacket.

"Your father didn't deserve this," Her heels clicked on the floors as she walked towards Draco, threateningly, "I-I can't believe you've done this to him," Hermione noticed that Narcissa was actually crying, real tears were streaming down her cheeks. Draco wouldn't step down because of this though, Hermione knew that.

Hermione could feel Draco tense when she said this. He was so hard to figure out. _Why_ would he defend their "love"? She thought that maybe she'd just have to act like Pansy Parkinson for a few days and then it would be over with, but she should've known better, since ever since she lost her job she knew that everything was unexpected so...if she just expected everything to happen, then maybe nothing like this would be so unexpected.

Narcissa turned on her heels, "I won't let this happen, Draco." With that, she left the room.

Hermione let got of his hand and stood directly in front of him, "What ARE YOU DOING?!"

Draco looked down at her with his typical calm look, "I told you, you'll see."

"I'd rather know what I'm getting it to,** now**!" Hermione pushed him, "Why didn't you tell me she knew me?"

"Of course she knows you!" He pushed her back, "What are you stupid?"

"You said you were positive."

Draco smirked, "Well, now I'm positive that you're the most gullible person _alive_."

"What are planning to do? Ruin my life even more?" Hermione crossed her arms and lowered her gaze to the floor, "Like that's possible..." She muttered softly.

--------------------

Harry opened the window and let Hedwig in. She flapped her white wings and hooted at him when he petted her feathers, "Good girl."

He took the Daily Prophet and sat down at the table, he was sorting through it to find the Sports section, when his eyes caught something- something very, very displeasing.

"What?" He screamed a whisper, "What the hell is this?"

A large picture of Draco flying through a Qudditch field was plastered on the front page, and at the bottom was Hermione's school photo. In big, horrible, red letters read:

**WELL-KNOW PUREBLOOD WIZARD AND HEIR TO THE MALFOY FORTUNE IS MARRYING THE FAMOUS MUGGLE-BORN HERMIONE GRANGER. IS THIS THE END OF THE PUREST FAMILY IN THE WIZARDING WORLD?**

"This can't be..." Harry put his hand to forehead like just seeing this gave him a massive headache and clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, "What are you doing?" He stared at the picture of her smiling face. It was taken when they were in their last year, right before the war. Her hair was a bit messy, but her cheeks were as rosy as ever and she looked so hopeful and happy. It wasn't like now, where she cried to him, begging him to help her, but all he could do was turn her away. If only...he could go back and change what he had done.

"What was I...thinking..."

_**-The Beginning of 7th Year-**_

_"Hermione, I told you I can't figure this out!" Ron let out a loud sigh and flopped down onto the couch, "It's too hard."_

_"Well if you keep acting like this, you'll never become anything!" She sat down at the desk where Harry sat across from her, watching her flare with frustration. As sick as it sounded, he loved seeing her frustrated, with her hair a mess from staying up the night before studying, and her shirt a bit tousled as well as her skirt. A smile spread across his face and he let out a soft chuckle._

_Hermione looked up at him, with her dark amber eyes, "What's so funny?" Her mouth quirked slightly into a smile, "I thought you were used to Ronald acting like a circus freak, at least I am, I don't laugh at it anymore...it's more annoying now." She looked back at Ron who was snoring soundly._

_"It's nothing," Harry straightened up in his chair, "It's just..." He trailed off and lowered his eyes._

_"What?" She asked urgently._

_Harry looked up at her, "I-I reallylikeyou Hermione." He said it fast so all his words blended into one big ball of a word. He remembered that he had been spending one or two days deciding if he should really go through with it and just flat out tell her. Because lately, they had been sitting a little closer and brushing their hands together a little longer, and staring at each other a little deeper. It felt like the line had been crossed between friends and lovers. Yes, felt like, but he remembered wondering if he was the only one that felt it. _

_Hermione blushed, "Um," She said, "I uh...really like you too."_

_Now Harry couldn't keep his eyes off of her. With those words it opened up a new world to him. Now, he could try to kiss her or touch her and with those words...he had the key. She liked him-no- really liked him._

_"Well...I better be heading off to-book-I mean-uh-bed." She grabbed her textbooks on Arithimetics and stood up. _

_Harry shot up from his chair and caught her before she went up to the girl's dormitories. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, "Can-can I kiss you?"_

_Hermione gulped and felt herself nodding yes to him, even though the fact that Harry Potter, her best friend since ever was now leaning down to kiss her felt so frightening, more frightening than failing all of her OWLs. When their lips touched, Hermione felt herself nearly faint with a sense of relief that it was better than she had expected. She always expected kissing Harry would end up badly, like Ginny would come walking through the door or he would be drunk and forget about it the next day._

_But, on this night, he didn't seem drunk at all, and Ginny was nowhere in sight._

_Harry rested his shaky hand on her back and slid it down until it reached the top of her skirt. Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed harder, more confident now. In her heart she knew she truly loved him. He had been with her through everything and she couldn't believe that he could love her back like she did. It wasn't like it was before. They were older and she didn't know what he wanted or really what she wanted. Where they going to date? Where they going to tell people that they kissed, or did he want to keep this a secret? What did he want? _

_Harry felt his heart beating faster once she slid her hands down lower as well. He took a daring step and reached his hand under her shirt, and felt his hand touch her skin. Her skin felt soft and hot against his hands. She didn't feel like Ginny, she felt like Hermione...beautiful Hermione. The love of his life. He didn't know how she felt or what she wanted with him, but he sure he wanted to keep going, keep touching._

"Harry? What are you doing?" Ginny walked behind him and wrapped her arms around her neck, "Good for them," She said when she saw the newspaper, "She deserves him."

Harry studied the newspaper, feeling his heart beat faster at the thought of them kissing like that again, "Yeah..." He responded, when his heart screamed no.

----------------------------------------

Hermione followed Draco downstairs, dressed in a plain white T and her pink pajama bottoms. Of course Draco wore a black suit and they looked completely out of place, even though she was sure they did even if their outfits matched. Narcissa was nowhere in sight when dinner was served and Draco made no mention of her.

"Where's your mom?" Hermione asked and took a bite of her chicken fillet, and with her full mouth she asked, "Does she eat?"

Draco ignored her and began cutting his meat, the knife scraped against his plate, "Just shut up and eat."

Hermione sighed. It wasn't even worth her breath to get anything out of him. Why was he acting so strangely? Not that he never acted particularly normal, but he used to have a flare about him, now he was just gloomy and...boring. She took a big bite and nearly choked.

"We're going to Paris this weekend, Blaise has invited us."

"I can't. I'm busy."

"What do you have to do? You're just a freeloader in_ my _house."

"Freeloader? I clean and do things, plus I'm helping you out. I'm very busy okay? You're the freeloader."

"What? I'm certainly not a free loader." He said, and threw her a disgusting look, "Stop stuffing your face."

"When you think unnecessary random thoughts, eating is the best way to get rid of them."

"What thoughts? Thoughts about other men?" He asked.

"What?!"

"Why are you so surprised?" He asked, "You're really thinking about a guy aren't you?" He accused.

"_Why_ am I _supposed_ to be thinking about someone?" She said, cursing under her breath at his assumptions, even though they were spot on.

"You are." Draco said. "Me." He smirked, "You can _always_ think a lot about me."

Hermione looked at him through her eyelashes, a blush crept up her cheeks. Draco continued eating, knowing that what he had said had thrown her off course. That was exactly what it was supposed to do.

After a long, pregnant pause, Hermione spoke, "I'm still not going," She said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"Then you can leave."

"You are very manipulative you know that?"

"So are you." He retorted.

Hermione noted that in every situation Draco had something to say back and for once she wished she could say something that would make him speechless and not have anything clever to say back to it. The only thing that made him do that was silence. So, she didn't say a word back.

"What are you deaf?" Draco said forcefully and stared intently at her from across the table. The table was filled with fine foods and a bouquet in the middle. Candles floated centimeters above that table top and reflected against it. Draco watched as Hermione's delicate features were illuminated by the flame of the candle that seperated them.

"Are you finished?" He asked again, but still she didn't answer, instead she got up, pushed her chair in, and folded her napkin on the table.

"I guess that's a yes. Granger has officially become deaf _and_ dumb."

Hermione glared back at him, then swiftly turned her head back, her hair bouncing behind her, a smirked plastered on her face.

"Where are you going?" He was now following behind her like a puppy dog, "Why are being so annoying, Granger."

Still, no answer. She had finally gained some control.

"Don't disobey me." His pace quickened before she was able to reach the first step on the stairs. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back towards him.

"Ow!" Hermione yelped.

"What are you doing?"

Hermione glared up at him, her eyes flashing with anger.

"I really never should have helped you. But... I guess that day I _was _bored and feeling a bit generous."

Hermione stared at him more intently now...he was talking about the engagement party. He was trying to get her to talk.

"...and you looked so pathetic trying to please your little friends." He smirked, "I thought, what the hell."

She felt his grip loosen a little and she tried to move away, but as soon as she did he yanked her closer, "Your life is mine, Granger, no matter if you like it or not, and if you don't stop this silent treatment crap, I'll have to go a bit further to _make_ you speak."

Hermione yanked herself free and ran up the stairs, him following close behind. She reached her door, but he was quick enough and grabbed onto the handle before she could even touch it.

She was trapped again, trapped between the door and him. His body pressed against hers felt so good right now. She felt like she was in a movie or a book, fighting her feelings for a man she could not love. It was true though, she was fighting feelings for him. She loved watching him fight back with her or getting frustrated by her. It made this, the hot feeling between them happen.

"Will you speak if I do this," Draco pressed his lips against the skin on her neck. His lips felt like velvet, yet slick and sensual. Her heart beat quickened, if she didn't want this, she would've said something back. It wasn't like her lips were sealed shut or anything. She gripped the his hand that was still resting on the doorknob and helped him turn it.

He closed the door, without taking his eyes off of her. It shut with a soft click. She stood, mesmerized by his figure. When they had had sex at his apartment, she didn't really remember him it all that much. But, in his suit, with the lustful look in his eyes, and the way his blond hair was parted to the side. Some strands were stuck to the sweat that was building on his forehead.

He almost looked animalistic, ready to pounce, ravish, devour. Hermione felt self-conscious, she wasn't wearing a bra, and her pajamas were suddenly feeling itchy.

Draco took two large steps towards her and bent down to kiss her. The pressure against his lips, felt hard, but soft at the same time. He bit her bottom lip, hard and sucked gently on it, before sliding his tongue into her mouth. He touched the roof of her mouth and tangled her tongue with his. This was like a fight, testing each other's strength, who would buckle under the pleasure or who would dominant. Draco dominated, Hermione buckled under the pleasure.

She didn't care though, because she liked being submissive and letting him take control for once, so she could just let go and roll with it. As he lay her down, he kissed her wear the neckline of her shirt was, and then the waistband of her pjs.

"I can get you to talk, Granger." He moved on top of her.

He smirked and grinded against her.

"More like I'll make you scream." He said.

Hermione didn't utter a word and stared back up at him. Pieces of his blond hair tickled her face, his grey eyes searched her like she was keeping this enormous secret. He didn't know it, but he could read her like a book. It was like she really didn't have to say anything and he just knew that she was falling deeply in love with him.

He also knew that she was trying everything in her power not to.

But...so was he.

* * *

_"I can't do this Harry, I want to wait."_

_"Wait for who?"_

_Hermione searched him, trying to ignore what he had just said. She loved him, yes, but she was still in school and this didn't seem right._

_"You love me Hermione, I love you. How is that wrong?"_

_"I-I just can't I want to wait until marriage."_

_"No one is going to wait for you, Hermione."_

_Hermione sat up on her bed and Harry lay on his side, studying her, waiting for her to answer._

_"I just don't want to, okay?" Hermione glared at him, "Why don't you just go back to Ginny? She'll give it to you." She lay back down on her pillow and turned her back to him, "Just go, okay?"_

_Harry sighed and rested his hand on her side, "How long do I have to wait?"_

_"There's not a time, Harry, I don't want to have a deadline."_

_Harry sat up and watched her lying there all angry with him, "I'm sorry, okay. It's just I love you, a lot. And I don't want to go back to Ginny."_

_Hermione stared at the wall nearest her bed, "It's fine." _

_The next morning Harry got up and waited for Hermione to come downstairs, but she didn't until later and he didn't see her in Potions or DADA. He searched the corridors until he ran into Ginny, who was rushing up to him, holding a box of chocolates._

_"Hey, Harry!" She grabbed onto him, "What are you doing?"_

_"I'm looking for Hermione."_

_"It's Valentine's Day and you haven't even found your girlfriend?" Ginny slapped him playfully, "But I got you something."_

_Harry took the box of chocolates. They were his favorite kind, chocolate frogs, "Thanks Ginny." _

_"No problem, I thought maybe since..."_

_"Since what?"_

_"Well you don't really seem to be with Hermione right at the second so maybe you could just have lunch with me, you know, just because we're friends. We can have lunch."_

_Harry looked behind him, checking to see if Hermione had found him, but she was nowhere in sight._

_"So," Ginny said as they sat down, "How is Harry Potter doing?"_

_Harry smiled weakly, "I can't find my girlfriend, not so good obviously."_

_Ginny ignored that and continued on, "Here, try this it's dark chocolate instead of the regular milk chocolate."_

_Ginny plopped it into his mouth, "Good huh?"_

_"Yeah," Harry smiled, "Wow...that is good."_

_"So..." Ginny bit her lip, "Did you get her anything."_

_"Uh-No not yet..." _

_Why was she suddenly so interested? Harry thought._

_Over Harry's shoulder, Ginny saw Hermione come walking towards them, looking gloomy and holding her usual textbooks. She seemed unaware of the fact that Ginny was feeding Harry chocolates and of the decision Ginny would make that would change Hermione's life as she's knows it._

_Just as Hermione reached their table, Ginny leaned over the table and pressed her lips against Harry's._

_"Happy Valentine's Day Harry." She said._

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**Author's Note:** Alrighty! Another chapter down! I've reached 107 reviews!!! yay!! Thank you oh so much! Well, I love all the comments, but this time I would really really like to know how my WRITING is improving or getting worse or how it is...because I get really discouraged by my writing sometimes, which is bad because you should never be too self-critical because it gets you nowhere, but I would like some feedback about my writing. I'm interested in what you people who are reading my story think of it. Because I would really like to improve. Well with that said...I am getting more into how Harry/Hermione ended up breaking up and stuff. Sex is in the next chapter so for you sex-loving fiends you will get lucky pretty soon: ) I just don't want them to have sex like every second, even though that would be **a blast **to write, but I want to keep the sex more meaningful I guess lol!(I guess this is my way of controlling myself lol) I have another idea for a fanfic, but I'm refraining from writing it because then I'll stop writing this and it gets annoying writing two or three stories at a time!! AH!! They will also be vacationing soon to Paris. Typical I guess...I dunno. I wanted somewhere where they could stay in a hotel -nudge nudge-

OK! Enough of my rambles! REVIEW REVIEW! now. DO IT.

I've been listening to JoJo, Akon, Coldplay, and One republic. Rap really gets me in the mood for writing Draco/ Hermione. lol (spontaneous random note!)

Love all who have reviewed. The mosquito on steriods got smashed by a newspaper...so no need to worry about him anymore!!

tehe

--teh lyn--- : )


	14. Chapter XIII: Torn

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter XIII

_Torn_

_"Take a look at this grand illusion…"_

* * *

Hermione clung to Draco's back and let out a whimper. Making love to Draco Malfoy wasn't like she ever expected it to be, every time just felt more and more meaningful. It was the same act-_sex_, but this time...it didn't feel like the drunken mess it was before, now it felt real. Unlike last time, all her senses were awake, and all inhibitions weren't lost. 

Draco touched her back, pulled her closer and dove deeper into her. She arched her back and stifled a moan. It was the most pleasurable experience of her life, full of everything, but this time she knew what she felt and this time she was less afraid of it. Less afraid of the fact that maybe Harry wasn't the only person she ever loved and maybe she didn't have to think back to the past all this time and just move on, _let go_. It was an epiphany, one she should have had years ago.

Harry had left her for Ginny and she had never known why all of the sudden he wanted her back-he was the one who left her...not the other way around.

Hermione felt herself on the edge, her heart beat against his chest, and sweat trickled like rain down her forehead. The silk sheets clung to her back like tiny hands pulling her down. He brushed her lip with his thumb, and then kissed her there, again and again and again. Draco's body clenched and she went with him-in unison, together. Maybe all this fiancé, boyfriend thing was fake, but this certainly wasn't.

Her hair stuck to the sweat on her forehead, and even though he could have tons of women out there, he loved the one who frowned at him all day and her hair was a mess, her life was a mess. As he looked down at her when he pulled out, he realized...maybe the reason why he had developed feelings for Hermione Granger wasn't because she was the most stunning woman he had ever meant-she certainly wasn't that-maybe it was because...he just liked her. He just liked being here, on top of her...like this. She was Granger that was it. It confused him that there didn't have to be anything else.

Truth be told, he enjoyed watching her frustrated when they fought, or surprised when he kissed her. Or...as he looked down at her again, maybe he just loved the fact that no matter what...she could always look at him and tell him the truth.

_You are an ass Draco! _

_What are planning to do? Ruin my life even more?!_

_**He remembered the day she first came to his apartment...**__There she was, drenched. Her curly brown hair was flattened around her face, as it was tied down by the rain. She looked up at him, uncertainty in her eyes._

_**He remembered the day she cried...**_

_"What are you doing here?" He breathed in deeply and his grip on her hands got stronger._

_Her whole body shook as more tears streamed down her face, "I don't even know myself," She cried, "What am I doing?"_

_"What am I doing?" She asked herself again as she continued to cry._

_"What am I doing...?"_

Hermione looked up at him, wondering why he wasn't leaving, but just staring down at her with a dazed look on his face, "Aren't you tired?" She asked and brushed the hair away from his face, but it only came back down and brushed lightly against her cheek.

Draco blinked and rolled off of her quickly, a sinking, excited feeling in his stomach, "Yeah, I'm tired." He could feel himself get erect again when she lightly touched his back.

"Okay..." She said softly and lay back down, "Good night."

He said nothing back, but laid there, his reflection staring back at him, and he couldn't deny anything when all he could think was...

_I just look__ so in love with her..._

* * *

Outside, the sky was turning slowly from black to gray. Half asleep, Draco rolled over and wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her, not realizing that Hermione was wide awake. 

Hermione felt her face grow hot, _geez_, she didn't know Malfoy could be this clingy, but she didn't try to move him, it _would _be a funny sight when he woke up. But, even though she joked about how he was clingy and she did sort of want to see his face when he realized he was holding her in his arms, she still felt like this wasn't a little thing to joke about. Was there something there? Yes, yes, yes! There was! But another part said, NO! NO! NO! It's just…sex!

_Maybe-_

"Granger?" Draco's voice drawled from behind her and she rolled over on her back to look up at him, as he lounged sexily beside her.

"What?"

_Maybe_ not anything…

When he smiled two perfect dimples formed at the corners of his lips, "You think my mother heard us?"

Hermione blushed and pulled the covers of her head, "That's an extremely inappropriate thing to say…"

Draco chuckled and loved how awfully awkward Hermione was the morning after. It wasn't like she had been drunk, she was willing.

"You know…" Draco smiled to himself, while Hermione blushed profusely under the covers, "…I'm pretty sure she did…."

"I thought she left."

"Oh, no…my mother doesn't leave, she'll back off, but she's only scheming." He lifted up the blankets and lay close to her, "You know, I don't get why you're so –" He looked her up and down, "embarrassed."

"Am not!" She pushed him away, "I-I'm just…"

"Embarrassed." Draco moved even closer, Hermione felt like he was a boomerang, every time she threw him away, he just came flying back to her and smacking her in the face _every_ time.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to look in his eyes, "Well-you-"

"I'm not embarrassed if that's what you were going to say," Draco said confidently, "And if you had my body, you wouldn't be either."

"Good for you…" Hermione retorted.

Draco leaned over and kissed her lightly on her forehead, and without realizing how intimate and nice that was, he continued, kissing her cheek, then her neck and wrapping her arms around her again like he had in the middle of the night. He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder, he was sure it was still early in the morning.

"Draco?" Hermione nudged him, "Draco?"

But, his eyes were closed and he looked deep in sleep. In a way, she liked him asleep; he was quiet and seemed nicer that way. If she had never known him for part of her life to be an evil-son-of-a-bitch, she would've fallen for that innocent look on his face, but in another sense, she liked to see him awake, as harsh and demanding and rude he was…she liked the fact that he could tell the world how he really felt without feeling bad about it.

Unlike her…who couldn't even stand up for herself for one second of her life. That's probably why she was…_attracted_…to Malfoy, because he had the ability to make people listen to what he had to say. In no way did she have that kind of power.

"Why do I even care for you?" She whispered, "You have helped me, but you are that boy I hated …you were a Death Eater…but you are smart and beautiful…and I think I'm falling in love with you…"

"How could you possible be falling in love with me, Granger?" Draco whispered back.

Hermione gasped, "I thought-"

"I was just resting my eyes, stupid," Draco smiled at her, and then he bent down and kissed her.

But all that was racing through her mind was, _does he love me back, does he love me back…does he love me back…_

"You can't fall in love with me, Granger." He pulled the blankets off him and sat up.

Hermione grabbed the blankets and wrapped them around her, "Why-why not?" _God I sound __**so**__ pathetic_, she thought.

He looked back at her, "Because-" He sounded angry now, "You can't. We have a deal, we are just pretending. None of this is real."

* * *

"They're getting married." Ron said it as if he couldn't really process that, "Wow. That's something you don't see everyday." 

Harry shrugged even though he felt like punching someone, even if that someone was Ron, "Yeah, she's-she's marrying…Malfoy."

"Can I ask you something mate?" Ron looked at him from across the table. They had met at a pub in downtown London, "Are you still in love with her?"

"What? I'm not anymore…" Harry sighed and took a swig of her beer, "Is it _that_ obvious?"

Ron looked at him, he was trying to make up a lie, but it was so obvious that he just couldn't do it, "Yeah, it is."

Harry put his head in his hands, "I don't know what to do…" He ran his hand through his hair, "She's…Hermione is actually…I just can't accept it."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Well I guess you do." He also too a drink of his beer, "Because as much as I love you as a friend, Ginny is still my sister, and I can't let you just leave her like that."

Harry felt his stomach sink, what if he did want to just leave her like that and go for something he wanted. All his life people had been forcing him to do things he didn't want to do, like save the world for example…he couldn't even do that.

"I won't, Ron."

"Promise?"

Harry hesitated, "I promise."

* * *

Ginny watched as Hedwig flew out of her cage and out the window. To be honest, she was jealous of an owl. It would make her year, no her life, if she could have wings and fly away from everything. The first thing she wanted to fly away from was her relationship with Harry. 

He was drifting. She knew what drifting was. Harry was drifting the same as he did when they were at school, when Hermione found them kissing on Valentine's Day. Harry had been upset, but she slowly coerced him into believing that Hermione didn't have feelings for him anymore. For one, Hermione avoided him at all costs, leaving Harry with no options left, but to be with her.

"_Thanks to you, she hates me…" Harry yelled at her, "Why can't you just tell her the truth?"_

"_Why can't you?" _

"_I did! She doesn't believe me." He cried out desperately._

"_Do you want her to believe you?" Ginny leaned against the wall, "You didn't leave me for her, __**I **__left you, __**and then**__ you had a fling with Hermione."_

"_No, I left you." Harry hissed._

_Ginny chuckled, "You don't love her Harry, it has been me, always will be me. No doubt about it."_

_Harry sighed, "She won't even talk to me, or look at me."_

"_Of course not, you're in love with her best friend." Ginny made a 'duh' face at him and followed him towards the couch, where they sat down next to each other._

"_Ginny…I-I just can't…"_

_Ginny moved closer and placed her hands on his chest, "But…but we're supposed to be together."_

_Harry hesitated, the anger he felt towards Hermione right now bubbled up inside him. Why wouldn't she believe him? Why wouldn't she just believe him that he wouldn't do that to her? That alone made his heart hurt, was she kissing Ron right now? Was she fooling around with him? …Ron wouldn't do that. Ron was his friend, so was Ginny and right now she was there for him. There was no logical reason why he let Ginny kiss him, but he could only think of one-pure and utter desperation._

_As he placed his hands around Ginny's waist and kissed her familiar lips, the only thought that ran through his mind was…__**she doesn't believe me…**_

* * *

Like a lot of people who fall in love, or proclaim to be in love…there is no logical reasoning to why it happened or how it happened, but plainly stated, it just did. Hermione couldn't think of any explanation. All of her life, she could only think of one way to view life-_black and white_. There wasn't a gray area, just one thing or the other, but this time, she just couldn't figure it out. 

_None of this is real…_

Hermione thought of what he had said as she got dressed and primped herself in the mirror before rushing downstairs. What he had said was right…she couldn't fall for him.

"Blaise wrote." Draco held up the envelope, "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's what I just said…" Draco sipped his coffee and threw that letter at her. It fell at her feet, she was about to pick it up when Narcissa's voice drifted into the dining room.

"Draco? Could you please send breakfast up?" Narcissa called from the other room.

He rolled his eyes and got up from his chair, and before leaving her looked back at her and pointed towards the kitchen, "Breakfast is in there."

"Great." Hermione said sarcastically, "Breakfast, _wonderful…_"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! I'll update pretty soon! I love the responses I get! Thank you! Thank you! Please tell me what you think about my writing! I would like to improve and I can't do that until I figure out what I'm doing wrong! Anywho, This chapter was really fun to write and I think this is one of my favorite chapters : ) 

I hope the whole Ginny thing isn't too unclear, but if it is…I'm sorry, she's really not**that **bad, she's just messed up from a sickness called love! Lol. Well thanks again for reading!

With all my love,

Lyn


	15. Chapter XIV: The City Of Love and Hate

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Harry Potter, the characters; blah blah (I'm pretty sure you all know that anyway...and if you don't...well...) there is most definitely sex, violence, and language. If you don't like that sorta stuff, you're weird-but be sure to get the hell away._

**Summary: ( Post-Hogwarts) Hermione Granger's life turned around the day she got fired. An unexpected picture brought her back to her old friend's she once loved. At an engagement party she makes a deal with the devil. Can this wreck of a woman find happiness...or maybe...even love?**

* * *

**A Story of a Girl**

Chapter XIV

_The City of Love and Hate_

"_Pictures of you, pictures of me hung up on the walls for the world to see…"_

_-"Pictures of You" By **The Last Goodnight** _

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes when the light from the sun fell onto her face and nearly blinded her. _It's all just pretend_; she thought as she got up and went to her closet. The green gown she wore lay on the ground. She bent down and picked it up, "Even this stupid dress isn't mine…" 

"Talking to yourself?"

Hermione looked behind her and ignored him. She stood up, hung up the dress and walked over to her bed to sit, "I'm not going…"

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her defiantly, "Of course you are, you're my fiancé remember?"

Hermione shrugged and put her hair back into a ponytail, "It's just pretend, so…can't I just pretend to not go?" She scowled at him.

Draco walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "_No_, you have to pretend to go."

She looked up at him and shook her head. It was scary how much she was used to looking at him and loving it. It was just too hard to pretend that she didn't feel anything. On top of that, he wanted it that way…

No matter what anyone would say, pretending was harder than it looked; true feelings always reveal themselves somehow. Hermione could tell that everything had already been revealed, and it was just too hard to keep saying that it didn't mean anything, went it did.

"I-I'm sorry…" Hermione shrugged off his hands, "It's…" She trailed off; she didn't see the use in saying anything.

Draco could feel her hesitation, "It's just this one thing."

Hermione could feel herself breaking down, "I can't Draco!" She shouted and threw her hands up in the air, "I can't lie anymore…"

"Well then how come you were able to do it before?" He asked.

"Because I was in a desperate situation, I can't just lie and pretend I'm your fiancé and go frolicking off to Paris! I have to stay here!" She didn't want to do this anymore; she just wanted her old life back.

"I'll pay you."

Hermione stopped shouting and looked up at him, "How much?"

"To pay for your apartment," He paused, "for an entire year."

Hermione couldn't believe this, how could she not accept this offer? But that meant spending a weekend in Paris with him, something she didn't think she could handle emotionally, "I-I can't…" She hesitated.

"Well why not?" Draco asked, "You won't have to deal with me anymore."

Hermione lowered her eyes to the floor, "O-okay I'll do it."

Draco smirked, "Then pack your bags, we're leaving in an hour."

* * *

The pale blue sky, dotted with puffs of little clouds reminded Hermione, oddly, of her first year at Hogwarts. It reminded her how fresh everything had felt then, unlike how it felt now-clotted and ultimately doomed. 

"Can we visit some sites…or am I just getting paid to sit in a hotel room?"

Draco scoffed, "Take it easy." He walked over to the window seat, bent down behind her, his lips close to her ear and whispered, "There's plenty of sites to see here."

Hermione rolled her eyes, yet those absolutely irresistible goose bumps rose up all over her, "Stop trying to act cool." She breathed, "Nobody's watching us, and we can stop pretending."

Draco stopped, but he still didn't move away from her, "But, what if someone walks in?" He brushed his hands over the crook of her neck, "Don't you want to make it believable?"

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, _concentrate, concentrate. _

"Malfoy, stop." She grabbed his hand and moved it away, "Where's Blaise?"

Draco, the collected person he was, did not seem stirred in any way by her rejection, "He'll be arriving shortly."

* * *

"Paris?" Harry shook his head, "She's in Paris with Malfoy?" 

Ron nodded, "Yup."

"Yup?" Harry hissed, "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried?" Ron shook his head, "You know nothing do you mate?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Hermione is Hermione. She makes her own decisions in her _own _life. If she is determined to ruin her life, _let her ruin her life_."

Harry stared at Ron, letting his best friend's words sink in, "You're right, you're right."

"Ginny is waiting. We better hurry." Ron hurried out the doors into the large dining room.

Ginny spotted them from across the room and shot them an annoyed look while the owner continued talking about the prices.

"This is my fiancé," Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and smiled at the owner, "We'd like to rent this for our wedding reception."

Ron put his hands on his pockets and studied the place, "Nice."

* * *

Draco led Hermione down the staircase and down to the lobby, "Blaise has arrived, act natural." 

"Act natural?" She scoffed.

Draco looked back at her, "Yes, act natural."

"Okay," She said, well she couldn't complain, she was getting paid. She could at least try, right? Plus, she'd never have to see any of them again.

"Draco?" A tall, dark handsome man came strolling over to them, "Is that you? And-"

"My fiancé."

"Yes." Blaise cleared his throat, "Your fiancé."

He held out his hand to greet Hermione.

Surprised, Hermione shook his hand. Oddly enough, it felt quite friendly.

"Blaise, are you…"

Hermione stared at the girl who had appeared at Blaise's side. It was Pansy Parkinson and did she look stunning. Her long black hair went past her shoulders, and her bangs were cut right above her eyebrows. She looked like a doll, with her pale skin. Hermione watched Draco stare at her, reluctantly.

"Pansy…" Draco said, though it sounded more like a reassurance than a greeting.

Pansy smiled half-heartedly and held onto Blaise, "Hello, Draco." She said.

* * *

"You invited Pansy?!" Draco yelled, "Why?" 

Blaise smirked, "She followed me."

"Ha! And you just couldn't resist bringing that-that…"

"Beautiful, sexy, wonderful….woman…"

"Hardly," Draco ran a hand through his hair, "You know I don't want to see her."

"You didn't mention that." Blaise took a drink of his wine and sat down in the chair beside Draco's. "Or that Granger is your fiancé."

"Yes I did mention that."

"Yes, but you must tell me that this is a ploy?"

Draco didn't answer.

Blaise continued, "Or a scheme, you know…a deal, a devious trick? A traditional game of Malfoy manipulation?"

Draco slammed his fist on the side table that separated their chairs, "It's not a game, alright?"

Blaise laughed, "Of course it is."

Draco lifted his head up and met eyes with his best mate, "What makes you sat that?"

Blaise scoffed, "What makes me say _that_? Your mother must be in hysterics."

"Yes, you're correct she is."

"Ah, that's it. Poor little rich boy wants to make mummy mad." Blaise swished the wine around his glass.

"You know I never got on your case about you and…"

"Pansy?"

"Yes, so why are you interrogating me?"

Blaise looked at him, "Because you can't possible sit me down and actually expect me to believe that you are in love with her."

* * *

Harry watched the clock. He tapped his foot against the wood floors. He held the ring in his hands and sweat trickled down his forehead. For the love of everything good in this world, why did he of all people have to be burdened with this? 

He turned the ring over, the side with the diamond was Ginny, and the gold band was for Hermione. He would do it ten times, whoever it was, that's who he would be with, and that's who he would love. He felt like a little girl picking the petals off of a daisy, but what else was there?

He turned the ring over. One.

"Ginny."

He turned the ring over. Two.

"Hermione."

He turned the ring over. Three.

"Ginny."

He turned the ring over. Four.

"Hermione."

He turned the ring over. Five.

"Ginny."

He turned the ring over. Six.

"Hermione."

He turned the ring over. Seven.

"Ginny"

He turned the ring over. Eight.

"Hermione."

He turned the ring over. Nine.

"Ginny."

Harry's heart beat fast as he turned the ring over in his hand for the tenth time…

"Hermione."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, my excuse this time for the long updating is a good one. I have to get ready and packed up for school. I go on the 30th. So it'll be a little hard to update while I'm at school [ I also had to help my sister get situated in her dorm and stuff and I drove up to her school w/ my parents and stuff, and yeah so it's been a bit hectic lately. I'm also freaking out about my classes this year and getting into art school and taking my PSATS and my ACTs (for backup schools). Also I got caught up in this really, really awesome Asian Drama and practicing drawing. But yeah, it'll take me longer to update and I'm sorry! I love everyone who has reviewed and enjoyed my story! 

---Lyn---


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